Better The Devil You Know
by Tandirra
Summary: NO SLASH. Even though Loki is securely part of the team by now, everyone is on edge after months of waiting for the threats of a madman to come true, when a face from the Asgardians past appears and throws more turmoil into the mix. The following chaos proves their fears true. 5th installment of a series.
1. Chapter 1

**I own nothing from the Marvel Universe**

**So this the next story in my continuing series, this is the first that it is recommended for you to at least read the previous one, that being All Good Things, to fully understand what is going on. You don't have to but may be confused.**

* * *

Resounding explosions echoed throughout the city. Tony grinned to himself at the crater that had previously been a group of aliens.

"Tony, try not to blow up the streets."

Natasha's reprimand sounded in his ear a moment later and Tony rolled his eyes.

"_Fine_, it's not like they're unfixable, though."

He rocketed upwards to survey the battle.

The team had gotten a call from Fury to deal with a group of rampaging aliens in London. Tony had been the first to get there but by now the others had arrived and were working on containing the destruction.

"Do we still not know where they came from, or why they're here, for that matter?"

Everyone was split up into different groups throughout the city. Natasha, Clint, and Steve were fighting off a large group on a bridge near the river, Thor and Hulk were taking on a squadron of them near the London Eye. Tony scanned the city, searching for Sif and Loki, then another explosion sounded.

"Tony!"

"Hey, it wasn't me this time!"

"Right, well just- give me a sec there's another wave coming."

"Need help."

"I think we got-"

Another explosion came from somewhere down the river, this time Tony saw a spurt of green flames accompanying it.

"Again, not me, but I'll go tell a certain God of Mischief to stop being so trigger happy with the explosions."

Tony disconnected the audio and took off towards the green flames. He came to the scene and assessed the situation.

Loki and Sif stood back to back, a large group of the ape-like aliens surrounded them, crackling green flames marked a hole in their ranks. As Tony watched, Sif lashed out at the group with her double bladed spear, downing a swath of the beasts. She retreated quickly as to not be overwhelmed. As soon as she returned to his side, Loki created a ball of crackling green energy, lobbing it towards the creatures and killing a section of them.

Despite their attacks, the pack of aliens didn't falter, instead encircling them tighter. Tony prepared to fly down and help them.

"Alright, Jarvis, let's go down there and help them."

The pavement rushed towards him as Tony blasted downwards, stabilizing last second to land in the space between the gods and the aliens, cracking the asphalt as he did. His appearance stunned everyone long enough for him to fire a blast of energy from his hand into the crowd of aliens.

Pandemonium broke out. The aliens converged on them, Tony soon found himself beside Loki, whose armor was smeared with grime.

"We had everything under control."

"_Right_, you were absolutely _not_ surrounded and outnumbered."

That earned Tony a grudging nod from Loki, before they were caught up in the fight again. They fought for some time, Tony sometimes catching a glimpse of either Sif or Loki downing the nearest alien with a blade or magic. Eventually the pack began to noticeably thin and Tony grinned triumphantly.

"That's right you ugly sons of bitches, you don't come to our-"

"Sir, behind you."

Jarvis's alert made Tony spin around, but not in time to avoid being tackled by a particularly large alien. Surprised, Tony almost went down. He and the alien grappled for a few moments, then a long blade pierced the creature's skull, coming dangerously close to his facemask. Sif gave him a small nod, hacking at the aliens around them.

"Next time, Man of Iron, perhaps do not get so cocky."

"Yeah, right, thanks for the help."

Tony got back to fighting, now beside Sif. Loki was on the other side of the street, holding his own against the beasts.

Then Natasha's voice sounded in Tony's ear.

"We've pretty much cleared up here. How are you holding up?"

"Loki and Sif were fighting a pretty big group, so I joined in. We're nearly done with them though."

"Right, we'll come meet you and finish this."

"Great, I'll tell-what the hell?"

A sudden shockwave of green energy swept through the street. Any aliens still alive clutched at their chest, then crumpled over. The shockwave passed through Tony, his breath caught in his chest for a moment and his communication system cut out, but the sudden sensation passed and he looked around.

Sif seemed surprised, gazing at the bodies of the aliens. Tony looked to Loki, who was still across the street. He appeared to be looking up at the buildings, turning around quickly and tensely.

"Hey nice job, why didn't you-"

"It was not me."

Loki cut Tony off, startling him. Tony flipped his facemask up and frowned.

"I'm sorry? It wasn't you, then what was it?"

"_Who_, who was it. The shockwave was magic based, but I do not know who or where it originated from."

Tony walked over to Loki, carefully stepping over the alien bodies. He gave Loki a worried look.

"Do you think it's…you know…"

"Allan, it is doubtful he did this directly. This is an incredibly complex piece of magic, it takes a large amount of energy and knowledge to create such a specific and powerful shockwave."

"So, not Allan, who else?"

"I'm not saying Allan is not somehow involved, we know he has some influence over a number of those able to use magic. But it is doubtful any mortals are more than amateurs, so who…"

Loki trailed off, biting his lip thoughtfully. From a ways away, Sif bent down, picking something up and holding it for them to see.

"This looks…Loki come here."

They hurried over and Sif handed the thing in her hand to Loki. He stared at it for a few moments, Tony caught a glimpse of it, a small swath of golden blonde hair.

"It's just hair, I don't-"

"Damn her. Why would she be…"

Loki' fingers closed around the hair and he let out a low curse.

"Who is "she"? And how can you tell from a little bit of hair?"

Tony frowned at Loki's low mumbling, look to Sif for an explanation. She seemed focused on Loki, who had returned to scanning the street and rooftops.

"Do you believe she left it for you to find?"

"I have no doubt, there would be no other reason for her killing the aliens, she wants to speak with me."

The two gods seemed oblivious to Tony's questioning looks, speaking urgently. Their apparent knowledge only irked Tony more and he raised his voice."

"Can someone tell me what the hell is going on?"

His anger got their attention, Loki placed a hand on his shoulder.

"She is a sorceress, or rather an enchantress, _The Enchantress_, by the name of Amora. We have…history, so to speak, I have not seen her in years, but she obviously desires me presence. Only a fool would keep her waiting, she will come to me, I suspect, but only when I am alone. I must leave you for a few hours, at most. Sif and Thor can explain more, it would take to long for me to."

"Wait, you're just going to wander off, _alone_, in search of someone who could be working for Allan. Do you realize how bad of an idea that sounds like?"

Loki nodded, validating his point.

"It does sound foolish, but I am stronger than her…and I honestly doubt she will outright attack me. I also doubt she will be completely following Allan's orders, she would not be subjugate to any mortal, though she might aid or use one. You don't have to wait for me, I will return to the tower once I am done."

Before Tony could respond, Loki let go of him and disappeared into a side street. Tony stared at where he had disappeared. A thud made him turn around, Thor had just landed in the street and, by the look on his face, had noticed his brother's absence.

"Where is Loki? I was told he was with you."

"Well, umm…"

"Amora is involved in this, she did not appear but killed the remaining beasts and left something to tell us of her presence. Loki went after her."

Sif cut Tony off, as he fumbled for words. Thor's expression changed from concerned worry, to surprise, then to a stormy frown.

"Amora…that explains these creatures. But for him to go after her alone, that is reckless, brother would not do such a thing if it wasn't her…"

Thor's words joined the assumptions Tony had already been making about Amora from what Loki had said. He arched an eyebrow.

"So, Amora and Loki, were they…a thing or something?"

Sif and Thor exchanged glances, then Thor hesitantly shrugged.

"If you could call it that…but that was more than a century ago. Of course, they had worked together before than, perhaps sense then, I'm not sure. Amora, she does not have good intentions, whatever they may be, but if she were to not immediately attack someone, if would be Loki."

"Oh, well that's…interesting."

**00000**

It had begun to rain. Loki let out an exasperated sigh and ducked into a nearby bookstore. A few hours had passed, yet there was no sign of Amora. But Loki knew she would show, he just had to wait.

"You interested in buying, or are you just sheltering from the rain?"

The man behind the counter spoke up, boredly. Loki turned away from the windows, looking at the shelves of books.

"Well, actually I-"

"There you are! You could have _called_ me, just because you can't wait for me outside doesn't mean you can ditch me."

A female voice cut Loki off and he spun around. Amora, donning human clothes, just as he was, and a false smile, bounded over to him and swung an arm around his shoulder. Golden blonde hair hit him in the face as she did. Loki returned the false smile after a moment, placing his arm around her waist as well.

"Sorry, my phone died. But we found each other alright, so it's all fine."

"Mmm…well, we should go eat, like we were supposed to. I'm not letting some snafu with some aliens, earlier, mess with our date."

"I don't doubt it."

They exited the store, false cheer and smiles falling away as soon as the door closed, they stepped apart.

"Amora."

"Loki."

"We have much to speak of."

"Perhaps over dinner."

Amora brought her hand up to Loki's face but he caught it before she touched him.

"I am not a simple minded man for you to seduce and use."

"Of course, and neither am I. So, dinner?"

A small table separated them, both pairs of green eyes inspecting the other's.

"You have changed quite a bit, Loki."

"And you haven't?"

Amora's mouth twitched upwards with amusement.

"Oh…well, at least I am not lowering myself to aiding mortals in their do-gooding."

"Mmm…"

Loki took a sip of the drink he had ordered, earning him a steely look from Amora.

"Why are you playing with the mortals…and you brother? What changed?"

"Quite a lot, actually. It's more complicated then it seems."

"Is it? Are you not merely filling some base desire to belong?"

Amora cocked her head with a coy smile, her finger twirling a strand of blonde hair. Loki remained impassive, eyes not wavering from hers, which reflected an underlying cool anger.

"Is that jealousy I detect, Amora? Jealous of a group of Midgardians."

Loki watched Amora bristle, her coy grin disappearing.

"_I_ do not need mortals to occupy my time."

"But that does not mean you do not work with them."

Silence hung in the air for a few moments after Loki's words. Then Amora reached for Loki's outstretched hand, he did not pull away, if he had to play her game to get information, then he would. She placed her hand on top of his and, after a moment, arched an eyebrow.

"You seem colder than usual, perhaps some side effects of a certain cure for a certain…poison."

It was Loki's turn to bristle, he pulled his hand out from under hers.

"You are working for Allan."

"I prefer the term "amusing myself with". But he came to me, I was quite impressed with his mind, for a mortal. So I decided to listen to his plans and choose what I wish to do about them. But I was right…you are colder than before, is it the blood?"

"That is not your concern and I would suggest you stop implying that."

Loki scowled at Amora's soft, cold, laugh.

"Or what? You've gone soft, you're not going to stop me, not in the midst of a building full of mortals. You should watch your weaknesses, Loki, they are ever so easy to exploit."

With that, Amora stood, running a hand across Loki's jaw as she walked away. Once she was gone, Loki let out a tense breath.

_Weakness, exploitation, what Amora could do with Allan's direction…this adds another layer to his complicated web._

**00000**

"What time is it?"

Tony muttered into the couch cushion, sprawled out with a drink in one hand.

"Three, about, that would mean it's…eight in London, I think."

Steve glanced to his watch.

"So, it's been…four, five, hours now?"

Tony looked up blearily. Then there was a pop and a crash of china. Everyone spun around.

Loki crouched on the kitchen counters, looking a bit exasperated.

"Sorry, long distance teleportation can be imprecise."

"You broke my coffee maker. I just broke it, Pepper made me replace it, and now you broke it, _again_."

Tony protested but Loki gave him an unimpressed look.

"It's not as if you can't but another. Anyway, we have more important things to discuss."

"Amora?"

Thor stood, looking attentively to his brother, who nodded.

"Yes, we talked, she is working with Allan. I'm not sure how closely, I believe she's flaky at best, but if his plans coincide with her desires, then she will."

"Did she mention a plan, anything?"

Everyone watched Loki, waiting for his reply. There were a few moments of silence, in which Loki ran a hand along his jaw.

"The last thing she said to me was about exploiting weaknesses. It may have been merely to unnerve me, but if it is something to coincide with a plan, then we have much to consider."

"But "weaknesses", that's so vague. We all have tons of weaknesses, how can we know which she would target? If she would at all."

**00000**

"Sir, The Enchantress is here."

"Let her in."

The young man bowed and exited the room. Allan minimized the hacked security tapes he had been viewing, pushing his chair back to wait for the Asgardian. She swept from the hallway into the room, with a distasteful scowl.

"I detest sulking through these underground passages. It is unbecoming for one of my power to burrow in this lowly place."

"I apologize, but it is necessary for us. We do not have the power that you posses. On that note, I applaud you for your chaos in London."

Amora waved a dismissive hand, although still looking displeased.

"That was simple, boring, I was only I it for the chance to speak with Loki."

"And did you?"

Allan leaned forward, more at ease than most, let alone humans, around The Enchantress. He had experience dealing with unstable people, his dealings with Loki prime among them. Even though The Enchantress may intimidate his allies, her presence was not going to deter him.

"I did, mortal, and I see what you spoke of, his weakness when it come to that team of theirs. And to the Midgardians in general. It is a pity…they have truly made him weak…but it does validate your plan."

"That we could use their weaknesses to create chaos among them, perhaps enough to get what we want without them noticing until it's too late. Yes, I believe it does."

Amora watched small green flames dance across her fingers, as if disinterested by Allan's words. But, after a moment, she nodded.

"And you are sure of where it is, that would be most unfortunate should you be wrong."

"It was moved, but yes I believe I do."

Allan saw the cold desire flash in Amora's eyes when she looked up.

"When your people are in place, which do you want me to go after?"

"Thor's."

* * *

**AN: So, first chapter, what did you think? I hope it's alright, the first chapter is always my most hesitant, I think. But anyway, I pulled Amora into all this and she will play a role. But there will be no slash, this is about as close as it will come to it. I would love to hear what you thought about it so far. Hopefully the next chapter will be up in a few days.**


	2. Chapter 2

Tony grimaced at Loki from across the sparring section of the training floor.

"I can't believe I let you talk me into this."

"I told you, I will go easy on you. Anyway, Steve thinks you should be able to fight, with your suit or without."

"Oh, so this was Steve's idea?"

Loki smirked, glancing towards the captain, who was grinning to himself while wrapping his hands with white boxing tape. Out of the corner of his eye, Loki saw Tony make an obscene gesture towards Steve and bit hit tongue to stop from laughing, partially failing. Steve spun around, as Tony hastily put his hands behind his back, observing the two snickering men with an amused grin.

"Next time I'll not have you two spar together, obviously you're not getting anything done. Maybe I should have Natasha spar with you, Tony, she would-"

"_No_, no, we'll focus. I do _not_ need to go against Nat."

Tony hastily stopped giggling, glancing to Natasha, who was on the other side of the room with Clint., and turning back to Loki, who also composed himself. Steve grinned, satisfied, and turned back to his punching bag.

"Alright, so umm…don't kill me, that's important."

"I'll try."

Loki nodded, smirking once more, before lowering himself into a wary position. Tony slowly side-stepped, wanting to see what Loki would do. In response to his movements, Loki seamlessly turned to face him. His demeanor reminded Tony of a wolf, which reminded him of Fenrir. Tony began to snicker, which made Loki cock his head, increasing the similarity and Tony's amusement.

"Sorry, sorry I just-_ah_!"

Tony yelped as Loki launched himself towards him. He quickly backed up, trying to get away from Loki's punches. Every hit that landed, even though definitely softer than what he could do, jarred Tony as he attempted to block them. Tony tried to fight back but his hand was caught and twisted until it felt like his wrist was going to break, before being released by Loki. Then, while he was distracted by his throbbing wrist, Loki buckled his knees with a swipe and Tony went down.

There was a small moment of stillness, then Loki's hand entered Tony's vision. Tony took it and was pulled to his feet. Every point where Loki had hit him was throbbing, none as bad as his wrist.

"I'm never doing that with you again."

"But it's good practice!"

"What, to get the shit kicked out of me?"

Tony glared, half-heartedly, up at Loki, whose mouth twitched with amusement.

"It could have been worse."

"Right…because that wasn't your full strength, was it?"

"Well…no, not really. But I have to ask, what were you laughing about?"

It quickly became apparent that Steve and Thor, who had come into the room sometime during their fight, had been watching them. Tony gave Steve another mock scowl before turning back to Loki.

"Just great…but I was just laughing at something stupid. You reminded me of a wolf, I don't know what it was, but then I thought of Fenrir…I told you it was stupid."

"Ah, I see. I suppose-"

Loki stopped speaking as Jarvis came on.

"Sir, I have received word from Director Fury that an energy expo in San Francisco has been attacked. The same one that-"

"Pepper! Shit, Pepper was going to one there…shit!"

All activity on the floor had halted, everyone listened attentively.

"Shit, what happened, can you call her?"

"Sir, Directory Fury has informed me that communication signals are being blocked. He has agents there, but they are not responding."

"Dammit, Jarvis get the suit ready."

Tony made a beeline for the elevator but was intercepted by Steve, who put a hand on his shoulder.

"Tony, wait a minute, we need to think this through. I'm sure Pepper is fine, she's smart and resourceful, she's not completely defenseless."

"Yeah, but what if they're _targeting_ her? What if it's her that, whoever attacked, wants? What if it's got to do with Allan?"

"Weakness…"

Loki spoke up, interrupting them. Everyone turned to him, the word echoing through the room. Then Tony leapt back into speaking.

"Shit, _dammit_, shit! Allan, Amora, _whoever the hell_, they can't get to Pepper!"

"Alright, everyone else suit up. We'll meet back on the Quinjet and get moving."

It took about ten minutes for everyone to get ready and converge on the Quinjet. By that time, Tony had already left and was flying at top speeds across the country. Steve turned to everyone as they took off.

"I got back in contact with Fury, he said the agents there were trustworthy, but still haven't been in touch with S.H.I.E.L.D. So we don't exactly know what is going on, but if whoever did this can effectively silence a conference that big, we should be ready for anything."

After that, there were a few long minutes of silence, filled by the noise of the jet. Loki looked to Thor, who was silent with a small frown. He watched him for a few moments, then something came to his attention and he broke the silence.

"Thor, have you talked with Jane recently?"

"I spoke with her two night ago using…what was it called, Bruce?"

Bruce looked up from some of the reports they had received from Fury.

"Skype, we set up a Skype account."

There was a sudden noise from Clint, who was piloting the Quinjet.

"The God of Thunder has a _Skype_?"

"Well yes, it is a good way to speak with her when she is busy with her research."

They could still hear Clint snickering, but Loki ignored him, frowning.

"Can you contact her now?"

"I am not sure, she is in Greenland, I believe, at the moment, studying some phenomena in the field. But she's staying in the town of…ah…Ilulissat, if I remember correctly. There's a chance we could contact her if she's still in the town."

"We should try…Allan could consider her a weakness to exploit."

Thor's expression turned stormy.

"He could, but she is so far away, it is doubtful anyone, without intimate knowledge of her, would know where to look. But it is better to be safe than sorry, we could use the jet's communication to contact her, yes?"

Natasha turned back from the cockpit to answer him.

"Sure, you have her number?"

"Aah…"

"Never mind, I'll look it up."

A few minutes passed as Natasha ran a search for Jane's number through S.H.I.E.L.D.'s database. When it finished, she set the call up for the whole team to hear or speak.

It rang, and, rand, and rang. Then, it picked up. The voice that spoke made the Asgardians stiffen.

"Isn't mortal communication just adorable? So primitive, it's quite amusing."

"Amora, what have you done with Jane?"

Thor growled, lightning cracked outside the jet.

"Nothing, she's right here."

"Ah…get your hands off of-"

"It's your dear Thor on the phone, little thing, do you not want to speak with him?"

The noise of a small struggle made it's way through the speakers, then Jane spoke again, sounding urgent.

"Thor? Thor don't co-"

Her voice cut off with a snap. Amora spoke again.

"Naughty, naughty. Although it was more naughty when her friend attacked me with some tiny electrical thing. That was a bad idea on her part, although she did not get annoying until the snark. She's silent now, so it's alright."

The storm forming around the jet broke, it began to pour, thunder rocking their flight.

"Amora, if you hurt either of them I will make you regret it."

"You know, I actually believe you. Unlike Loki, on that note, hello Loki."

Everyone looked to Loki, whose jaw twitched.

"Amora, do not hurt them, it will not end well for you."

"It sounds as if you care for my well being, touching. Thank you for your concern, but I really must go."

The line disconnected, Amora's cold voice echoing in everyone's ears. The raging storm slowed the jet's progress. Natasha called back from the cockpit a few moments later.

"We traced the call, it was from Ilulissat."

Steve nodded and spoke above the claps of thunder.

"Thor, you're going to take down the jet if you don't calm down! But we do need to get Jane out of Amora's hands, you're the only one who can fly other than Tony, but I think more of us are needed in San Francisco. Still, you shouldn't go alone."

Thor turned to Loki, whose eyes were clouded, lost in thought.

"Brother, you could get there quickly, no?"

"I…I could not teleport there, if that's what you're saying. I have not been to this place before, so I cannot appear there."

"But will you help? I cannot think of a better person, than one who knows Amora so well, to aid me. I could carry you-"

"I am not going to be carried all the way to Greenland. But, yes, I will come. I will go as close as I can…perhaps Quebec, I've been there recently. Go there, I will be waiting on the tallest building. We can go from there."

Thor sighed, smiling thankfully at Loki. He then turned to Sif.

"I would ask for your assistance as well, my friend, but they could use your skills in rescuing Miss Potts. And I believe Loki and I are more than a match for Amora."

Sif dipped her head.

"As you wish, good luck, Thor."

Natasha brought up a map of Greenland for them to see and, after they had memorized Ilulissat's place, opened the Quinjet back. Thor spun his hammer and flew off into the storm. Loki nodded to the other's, turning specifically to Steve.

"Tell Tony, I'm sorry that I couldn't help rescue Pepper."

When Steve nodded, Loki closed his eyes, focusing on transferring his matter to Quebec.

**00000**

When they finally reached Ilulissat, Thor and Loki immediately attracted attention, helped by both their armor and entrance. Eager to get away from the strange looks of the locals, Loki pulled them into an alleyway.

"I told you, we need to land _outside_ of this town. If she had anyone waiting for our arrival, knowing her she does, they will have most certainly seen us!"

"I am sorry, I did not think."

"Damn right you didn't. Now time is even more of the essence. Do you perhaps know where Jane was staying?" I could search there discreetly."

Thor frowned, trying to remember if she had mentioned anything of the sort.

"Ah…I believe…Hotel Artic? Perhaps…"

"Well that name is…original. I will search for it and see if she is still there. If she is, I will send up a signal for you to come."

"How will you-"

"Magic, you dunce. Just watch the sky, if she's not there, I will come back here."

With that, Loki stepped back and closed his eyes, mouthing an incantation. When the magic was released, he felt his body begin to change, skin and bone altering and shrinking. In a few moments, a small black bird cocked it's head at Thor, before taking off.

It did not take long to find the hotel, a large red building with the name "Hotel Artic" emblazoned in white block letters on the side, with an admirably stunning view of the partially frozen ocean. Loki circled around it, checking each window. One caught his eye, it was partially opened.

He swooped down to perch on the windowsill. Inside were scattered, what seemed to be, scientific equipment. He slipped through the window and landed lightly on the dresser. Loki began to reverse the enchantment within his mind.

When it was finished, he warily stepped through the room, inspecting the equipment. Papers were spread across both of the beds, a laptop left on the closer bed, bore the inscription, "Property of Jane Foster", underneath the words, "From your mentor and friend, Eric Selvig". Loki flipped it open, the screen lit up, it was still on.

The background, a detailed image of a nebula, made him smirk.

"Ever so-"

"Predictable, bland?"

Loki spun around, hand instinctively going for one of his hidden daggers. Amora leaned against the doorway, another of her coy smiles directed his way. She flicked her finger at the window, closing it with a snap.

"Those are the words I would use to describe the Midgardians. _I thought_, because she was studying something vaguely advanced, she would have something interesting to say. I was mistaken, it was the usual threatening and anger."

"Amora, where are they?"

He advanced on Amora, who batted her eyelashes innocently.

"Oh, they're not hurt…mostly. You know, this situation reminds me of some others, although I believe your intentions are different this time."

"I am not here to play your games, Amora. _Where are they_?"

The two of them stood within arms length, Amora's grin never faltered.

"Why do you care so much for their safety? Midgardians are like flies, gone before you can think twice about them, and ever so delicate."

"_Answer my question, Amora!_"

"I mean, sure mortals are fun toys, but one should never get attached to a toy, it's-"

Loki pushed Amora against the wall, dagger pressing against her throat. Her eyes lit up.

"I've noticed that you haven't summoned your dear brother, perhaps waiting or the opportune moment. That's probably for the best though, if you did I might accidentally tell one of my toys to off one of the precious mortals tucked away in the basement."

Amora laughed softly as Loki recoiled.

"Oh, don't let that ruin our fun. Thor is so dull anyway, it's far more interesting like this."

Loki did not move the dagger from her throat, but turned his head to the side with a scowl, thinking. He turned back to Amora after a few moments. She continued to grin.

"Why are you working with Allan?"

"Reasons."

"What reasons?"

"All sorts of delightful ones, things that you would have appreciated, had you not gone so soft."

There was a bitterness to Amora's words that caught Loki's attention.

"Is that your grudge against me, that I've gone soft? I still believe you are jealous, you of all people shouldn't be."

Loki brought his other hand to cup Amora's cheek, she glanced from it to the one that still pressed a dagger against her throat. Loki's tone seemed to surprise her, as he had desired.

"I am not. Although I _am_ certain we have been in this position before."

Amora leaned forward as the dagger's edge fell away from her throat. They stood there silently, Loki did nothing as she traced his jaw line. He moved his hand from her cheek to her neck, fingers searching for some earpiece or anything for communication. A small bump, something plastic, met his fingertips and her repressed a grin. With a small motion, he removed it from her skin.

"Loki…"

Amora breathed in his ear, Loki continued to play along, waiting.

"Yes, dear Amora?"

"Have I ever told you, _how wrong a move that was_?"

Her voice grew harsh and Loki felt a searing pain in his chest. He drew back as the pain intensified, radiating from a point of his back. Amora watched his surprise with a haughty look.

"Didn't think I would hurt you? Obviously you over estimated your influence."

Loki groped around his back, fingers finding the hilt of a dagger embedded in his flesh, situated to pierce his right lung. He coughed, the coppery taste of blood filling his mouth. Amora continued to gaze at him passively. Loki did nothing for a moment longer, then pointed towards the window, a massive ball of crackling energy launched through it and exploded into the sky.

"Ah-of course you would, Loki. The new, _selfless_, you, pathetic…You can have your mortals, they're not important and I believe I have stalled enough. I have no desire to be apprehended. But I'll leave you with a parting gift."

Amora's elbow collided with Loki's nose, stars exploding across his vision. He stumbled back, into the wall, as blood ran down his face. Through the red haze of pain and blood, Loki saw her approach. After a moment, he felt her lips press against his, then she vanished.

Loki fell to his knees as the world began to tilt and go dark. The last thing he heard was a crash of thunder. Through the blackness, he saw a flash of rich red and managed to speak.

"I-fine…basement…go."

* * *

**AN: So many distractions making me update so slowly, sorry. What did you think about this chapter? **


	3. Chapter 3

It was bright, too bright. Loki blinked slowly, trying to get rid of the light. When it didn't go away, he groaned. A yelp of surprise jolted him even more, but he felt so very tired, it was soft, only, something was hurting.

"Loki? Loki, can you hear me? Are you awake?"

The voice was familiar, full of worry. Loki tried to focus on the source, slowly, a face swam into view.

"B-brother?"

Thor broke into a relieved smile.

"Oh, you're fine, brother, you're awake. You're not dead, thank the ancestors."

Loki's mind was still foggy, he frowned up at Thor.

"What-where…wait…"

His mind began to clear as the throbbing pain in his chest became more apparent. He attempted to sit up but both Thor and a wave of searing pain kept him down.

"No, brother, you are not fully healed. Jane helped me staunch your bleeding, but you are not ready to move yet."

"Jane…so they are safe?"

Something in Thor's expression made Loki frown.

"What is it? What happened?"

"Nothing, they are both alive. Just…I think Amora did something to Darcy, she will not awaken."

"Magic?"

"Most likely."

Loki grimaced, following Thor's gaze to the other bed. On it lay, who Loki assumed to be, Darcy. Jane sat on the edge of the bed, next to her. She had a cut above her eye and a split lip, but looked to be otherwise fine. Her brown eyes lingered for a moment on Loki, before going to Thor.

"Can Loki do something to help?"

"Perhaps, but only when he gets the strength to-"

Thor stopped as Loki lurched upwards, ignoring the pain in his chest as best he could.

"_Loki_, no!"

"I can fix her, I think."

"You're too weak, what if you lose consciousness again?"

Loki shot Thor an impatient look, made less effective by the pain clouding his gaze.

"If you won't help me to her bed, I'll do it myself. Then I'll most certainly pass out."

Thor grimaced helplessly to Jane, who cast a worried look at Darcy. When Thor looked away, she gave Loki a wink. He smiled weakly, taking an immediate liking to her knowledge of manipulating his brother.

The few moments of walking nearly made Loki black out again, but he was able to make it to the edge of the other bed.

"Alright, I need to know what exactly Amora did to her."

The dark haired intern seemed to be in a fitful sleep, her face contorting. Loki ran his fingers over a cut along her hairline, taking note of her temperature, before turning to Jane.

"What did you see Amora do to her?"

Jane closed her eyes for a few moments before answering.

"Darcy tried to taze her, that didn't work, so Amora hit her on the head, that cut her. Later, Darcy was…well, being Darcy…and I guess Amora got tired of it. She said something…I couldn't understand it, and made a motion like punching Darcy in the chest, but she didn't hit her. After that, Darcy went limp and has been this way ever since."

Loki nodded in thanks, directing his attention back to Darcy.

"Thank you…I think I may know what Amora did. I'll try to reverse it."

He placed a hand on the hollow of Darcy's neck, noticing, for the first time, that his arms were exposed. Loki took a moment to glance down at his body, his chest was wrapped in, now stained, linen bandages.

"They had a first aid kit down in the lobby. I think she was planning this for days. The entire staff was replaced by her agents, or whoever. Thor had to take care of them."

Jane responded to his slight frown.

"I see…the entire building? Impressive…But no matter, back to this."

Loki closed his eyes, mustering what energy he had into a counter spell, hoping it to be the correct one. When he finished, his vision flickered as he released the magic, energy dropping considerably. He took a steadying breath as his energy balanced out, aware of Thor hovering protectively beside him.

"Did it work?"

Jane looked from Loki to Darcy, biting her lip. Frowning, Loki placed a hand on Darcy's forehead, it was cooler than before.

"It seems to…I do not know-"

Darcy's eyes fluttered open. She seemed disorientated for a few moments, gazing up at Loki blankly.

"I thought…my Prince Charming would be less…bloody."

Loki jerked back, confused, as Jane launched herself towards Darcy, hugging her.

"Oh thank god, you're awake!"

"Duh, wait, are you _crying_? What happened to the chic in green?"

Darcy patted Jane awkwardly on the back, before looking to Loki, then to Thor. Realization dawned in her eyes.

"Whoa, Thor, hey. Did you get rid of her, or was it you, Mr. dark haired Prince Charming?"

"My name is Loki, not… Prince Charming…_is this how she normally is?_"

Loki muttered to Thor, who grinned and nodded slightly. He directing his attention back to Darcy, who nodded absently, not having heard his inquiry to Thor.

"Wait…Loki, like the Loki who attacked us in New Mexico and attacked New York?"

"Well yes, but-"

"But he has risked his life time and time again since then and saved you from the enchantment Amora placed on you."

Thor placed a hand on Loki's shoulder, defensively, jostling Loki and sending spikes of pain from the wound in his chest. Loki grunted with a grimace, earning him a concerned look from Thor.

"Brother, you should rest again, until the wound heals. There is no reason to cause yourself undue pain."

"If I wait until the wound is healed, we will be here for days. I believe Amora coats her weapons with a unique poison that slows healing. Trust me, without proper cleaning it could take days for my wounds to begin to heal. I should know, as I taught her how to create it in the first place."

As he spoke, Loki stood, leaning heavily on the bedpost. He grimaced, swaying with every step.

"I will clean the wound, it will speed my healing. Although…I-ah-may require your assistance."

Thor nodded at Loki's strained words. As Loki lowered himself into one of the armchairs, he gestured towards the bathroom.

"I will need water, wet towels perhaps. Thor, help me remove these linens, would you?"

While Thor and Loki carefully removed the stained bandages, Jane disappeared into the bathroom. By the time she returned, arms ladened with towels, and the sound of running water from behind her as the sink filled, Loki's bandages had been removed.

His skin had taken an unnatural, sickly, white and his paled lips were tight. Loki took a shallow breath.

"Good…damn, I have nothing to bite down upon to prevent…no matter. I-ah-need one of you to…soak one of the towels. Rinsing the wound will c-clear the poison."

Sweat beaded on his forehead as Loki spoke, mouth dry. Again, Jane returned to the bathroom, while Thor gazed at his younger brother with open concern.

"Brother, the wound goes deep into your body, if it is not yet healed, your lung may still be vulnerable."

"Yes…but I can survive the pain…I must, the wound will fester if I do not do this."

Jane returned, white towel dripping onto the floor. Darcy watched from the edge of her bed, as Loki weakly gestured for them to press the towel against his again bleeding wound. Thor took the towel from Jane, giving his brother a reassuring squeeze on the shoulder, before pressing the sopping towel against Loki's wound.

Loki stiffened, then, after a few moments, arched his back, lips parting with a wordless howl. The water that ran from beneath the towel was murky. Thor grimaced to Jane as Loki's fingers dug into the arms of the chair, splintering the wood. The longer Thor held the towel against the wound, the more Loki began to shudder

Finally, after what seemed like hours, Loki held up a shaking hand.

"E-Enough"

His voice was hoarse but still audible. Thor pulled the towel away, throwing it to the ground before addressing Loki softly.

"Brother, if you had told me how bad it would be, I doubt I would have agreed to let you do it like that. It hurt me to see you in that much pain, there had to have been another way."

"Which is why…I did not tell you. It had to be done and I-ah-I've survived worse."

Loki pushed the hair from his face with an almost inaudible groan. He looked up, his eyes were dulled and gaze unfocused but he gestured towards the pile of bandages that had been wrapped around his chest.

"Are there more of those? It would do me well to…stop any more bleeding that may occur until the wound heals."

Jane nodded and rummaged through the first aid kit. While she was pulling out the bandages, Loki looked to Thor, who was still gazing at him sadly. Loki gave him a dark glare.

"If you don't stop looking at me like I'm a kicked puppy, I'll make you regret it. I do not need your sympathy, we have more important things to discuss."

Thor hastily changed his expression, although Loki could still see the sadness in his eyes.

"Of course, brother. How _did_ you get stabbed, exactly? I'm surprised Amora-"

"_With a dagger_."

Loki replied sarcastically, cutting Thor off hastily, as Jane handed him a roll of linen bandages. His sarcasm seemed to amuse Darcy, who snorted. Loki gave her an appraising look before turning back to Thor, who was frowning cautiously at him.

"But in actuality, Amora and I spoke without violence for some times, until she revealed that she could contact one of her men in the building to kill the hostages, you two."

Loki inclined his head towards Darcy and Jane, who grimaced slightly.

"Oh, I see. Yeah, once Amora left, some men with guns stood at the door. Luckily Thor took care of them…but now what Amora said before she left, makes sense…"

"What was it?"

_"My date has arrived. You be good, I don't want to be interrupted while we're chatting._ I assume she meant you…That's pretty impressive, how many times have you had to do that?"

Jane returned to sitting on the bed as she spoke, watching Loki absently wrap the bandages around his chest while focusing on her, occasionally wincing.

"Many…but that is interesting, what Amora said. But yes, after we chatted, as she put it, I knew that I needed to stop her from being able to contact her men. So I got as close to her as I could and, although I did succeed in disabling her communication, she stabbed me. Perhaps I overestimated what I still meant to her, or perhaps she simply became more clever…Either way, it surprised me."

As Loki finished wrapping the white linens around his chest, he sat back to a more comfortable position, mindful of his back. Thor, who had moved to lean against the wall close to Loki, spoke up.

"What did you believe your influence to be?"

"I am not sure…it was a foolish idea and not one I should have acted on. It may be that Amora has a greater effect on me then I allowed myself to consider."

There were a few moments of silence following Loki's bitter words. Thor reached out a hand but then withdrew it after some hesitation.

"Brother, I am sure it is not that. Amora is, and always has been, clever. It is not out of the ordinary for her to trick people."

Loki shot him an offended look, an undercurrent of doubt barely concealed in his eyes.

"Perhaps for most of you, but, if I must remind you, _I_ am the Trickster God, not her. But it does not matter, it will not happen again, _it will not._"

Thor took up his expression again as Loki shook his head, speaking more to himself than the others. Then Loki came to an abrupt stop, pausing for a moment before looking up, his expression guarded.

"What we need to do is contact the team. We must see how they fare. Do you still have your phone, or did Amora destroy it?"

Loki turned to Jane, who jumped at his sudden change of demeanor. She fumbled for her coat and eventually pulled out her phone.

"She didn't destroy it. I can redial the number you called from last, if you want."

"If that would work, it you be most appreciated."

Jane nodded slowly, thrown by Loki's sudden formal tone. She redialed the number and set the phone on speaker for everyone to hear.

After three rings, the phone picked up.

"_Who is this and how did you_-wait…this number…"

"Natasha, it's us."

"Thor, Loki? This is Jane's number, yeah? What happened, did you catch Amora?"

Thor looked to Loki, who gestured for him to speak. He nodded, before answering Natasha.

"Ah…we did not apprehend Amora, but Jane and Darcy are safe. What of you, is Miss Potts alright?"

"That's a pity…but yes, Pepper is safe. Clint got shot in the shoulder, but it was glancing and he's fine now. It's strange, though, the number of men was a lot smaller then what we had first suspected. Their numbers don't even match what Pepper and some of the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents described."

"Do you think that some of them escaped?"

Loki spoke up. His hoarse voice seemed to make Natasha pause.

"Loki? You sound awful. But that's a real possibility."

"It is, Amora did the same. She left her men and disappeared."

There was a long silence before Natasha answered.

"Interesting. Listen, we should talk more about this, except in person. Never can be too careful. We should be done wrapping up here in a few hours, you got lucky that I was getting something off the jet when you called. Can you meet us back at the tower? Loki, you could teleport the girls back with you and Thor could just fly, right?"

Loki sighed heavily, stopping halfway through with a grimace.

"About that…"

"What, what's the problem?"

"Ah…I do not have the strength to do that. My encounter with Amora left me…weakened, to put it lightly."

"_Weakened_?"

Natasha's voice sounded skeptical and Loki scowled.

"She stabbed me, if I must be blunt. Quite accurately into my lung with a poisoned blade, actually. So having enough energy to transport me, let alone two more people, is laughable for a few days."

"_You got_…Of course you did. Fine, we'll come pick your asses up. Just stay safe, don't get stabbed again, alright?"

"Mmm…I may take precautions."

"Do that and I'll tell the others that you guys are safe. I gotta go, there's some security coming to talk with me."

The call ended and Loki tossed the phone back to Jane, before grimacing again.

"Wonderful, who knows what Allan is planning. Going after our weaknesses but using them as nothing more than a distraction, not actually exploiting them. Amora said something about stalling…they did something, but what…I don't know, I don't know and damn Amora-I-she…I don't-"

Loki doubled over, his increasingly heated words cutting off with a fit of coughing. Thor moved to hover over him protectively, glancing from Jane, who gave him a small frown, to his younger brother.

**00000**

"Did you get it?"

"Of course."

Allan inclined his head to The Enchantress, who wiped a bloody dagger on a tapestry hanging on the wall.

"Then where is it?"

She sounded impatient, Allan grinned in response.

"In this room, can you not sense it's power. I would assume someone of your ability would be able to. Even I can, it's quite an artifact, I never expected it to be that powerful."

"_Of course I can_, but where if it?"

Amora advanced on him, eyes cold. Her anger amused Allan more ,who suppressed another smile.

"What exactly happened with Loki in Ilulissat? I assume that dagger and blood had something to do with it."

"It may…but the details are not your for knowing. What matters is that Loki, ah…weaknesses."

Allan arched an eyebrow at her.

"Yours or his?"

"His is worse…mine will not get in the way. Now show it to me."

Amora shook her head dismissively before taking up her cold demeanor again. Allan smiled and directed his hand towards a sealed black crate, it's side bore a white eagle logo. He stepped forward as she advanced on it, placing a hand on its lid.

"Before I open this for you to see, we can discuss what's next, yes?"

Allan smiled in spite of Amora's annoyed glare, she removed her hand from the lid slowly.

"What is it, then I shall decide."

"I believe you will agree to it."

* * *

**AN: I got this chapter out pretty quickly, so yay. But I expect it may take longer for them to come out after this, maybe. I'm glad for the response, it's really encouraging, so thanks. On that note, what did you think of this chapter? Hopefully you liked it. I'm not sure when the next chapter will be up, hopefully it won't take too long.**


	4. Chapter 4

"Are you sure you're alright?"

"Yes, Tony, I'm sure. I've been in more dangerous situations than that before and I'm just fine. You should be focusing on your friends who _are_ hurt."

Pepper gave Tony a reassuring smile that quickly turned stern. Tony spread his hands in a defensive gesture.

"But none of us are hurt and you-"

"_Excuse me_, the bullet wound in my shoulder begs to differ."

Clint snapped from the cockpit but Tony waved a dismissive hand.

"I forgot, but you're not really that badly hurt. You look fine to me and it's not like that's your first time-"

"And, like I said, it's not my first time in a situation like this, Tony. Really, I think what happened with Obadiah was worse."

Pepper cut him off and Tony relented with a scowl.

The Quinjet was making its way across the country after Natasha had told the team of her conversation with Thor and Loki. They had decided to drop Clint, Pepper, and Bruce off at the tower before picking up the others.

"I can't believe he got himself stabbed again. It's ridiculous; he's the most danger prone son of a bitch-"

"It's not just Loki, usually when he and Thor are together more trouble is compelled to occur. Although Loki was mainly the trouble maker."

Sif smiled slightly, speaking over Tony. Her unconcerned attitude earned her a pointed look from Tony.

"Doesn't it worry you it all, Loki getting hurt?"

She cocked her head at his challenging tone.

"Well…it's Loki, he's capable. And I believe, if he was gravely hurt, he or Thor would have mentioned _something_ of the sort. It's also doubtful that Amora would have aimed to kill him."

"She did stab him in the lung."

Tony stared at Sif in slight disbelief. His surprise didn't seem to concern her; she merely continued to wear a smile.

"It's not as if this is the first time Loki has been injured. All of us were hurt in a myriad of ways during our adventures. We've dealt with far worse than a simple stab wound in the past."

"Sometimes I forget you all have a different perspective than us. But right now, it's obvious. Most humans would still worry if their friend was badly hurt. I would worry about Clint if I couldn't see he was perfectly fine, but I can't see that with Loki. It shouldn't matter if it's the first time or the thousandth time, because there's always a chance that it could be the last."

The jet had gone silent as everyone stopped their conversations. Sif seemed almost taken aback by Tony's anger.

"Of course we were raised differently. Asgardian culture is far older and more established than your scattered cultures."

"It's also crueler."

Tony muttered under his breath with a scowl.

**00000**

They had just reached the coast of Greenland when the communication display lit up. Natasha looked at the ID and, after a moment of hesitation, opened the line.

"What is it, Director Fury?"

"I need to speak with all of you, now."

Something in Fury's tone made everyone tense.

"Did something happen?"

"A worst case scenario, I need to meet with everyone, even Loki…especially Loki."

"Well, we're going to pick up Thor, Loki, and Jane Foster and her friend. But Clint and Bruce are back at the tower with Pepper, cleaning Clint's shoulder up. We could-"

"I'll have someone get Barton and Banner, you get the Asgardians. Just hurry."

Natasha nodded, glancing back to the others, who listened attentively.

"Alright, once we pick them up, where should we meet?"

"The nearest Helicarrier. I'll send the jet the coordinates."

"Oh, it's that urgent? Okay, got it."

"Good."

Fury disconnected, leaving a static silence among the team. Steve was the first to speak.

"What do you think happened?"

"_A worst case scenario_, whatever that means. We should hurry, though, Fury sounded stressed. I tracked Jane's phone so we don't have to waste any time finding their location or calling them again."

Natasha turned back to the controls, brow furrowed.

The Quinjet touched down just outside the town. After a few minutes of wandering, the team found themselves in front of a large red building. Inside was a mess. There was a large hole in one of the walls and overturned furniture throughout the room.

"Umm…what the hell?"

Tony surveyed the wreckage. Beside him, Steve made his way across the debris to a flight of stairs. He glanced back at the team, before looking up to the second floor and raising his shield slightly.

"Thor, Loki, are you up there?"

After Steve called out, he raised his shield more, tensing in anticipation. Both Sif and Natasha's hands went to their weapons. There were a few tense moments of silence, then a noise came from upstairs.

"Steve, is that you?"

Thor emerged from the stairwell, a look of relief clear on his face. Mjolnir was in his hand, flecked with blood that caught Tony's attention. Thor followed his gaze to Mjolnir before speaking again.

"I am glad to see you, my friends…You are all very tense, has something new happened?"

"Fury contacted us, something happened and we need to speak with him immediately. Where are Loki and the others?"

Steve informed him. The news seemed to take Thor by surprise for a moment. But he nodded, motioning upstairs.

They are up there. I shall get them."

After Thor disappeared upstairs, Steve turned back to the group, meeting Tony's eye first.

"I guess we know what happened to anyone keeping them hostage. I think the blood on Mjolnir clears that up."

"You noticed it too? Yeah, I think it does."

"I suppose that shows, don't mess with the people the God of Thunder cares about."

Tony snorted, leaning against the wall to wait.

Soon two women joined them downstairs, both sporting a few cuts and bruises. The lighter haired of the two, who also appeared more in charge, introduced them.

"Ah, hello, I'm Jane Foster; this is my intern, Darcy Lewis."

Steve shook their hands with a warm smile.

"It's good to see that you're safe. But where are Thor and Loki."

It was Darcy who answered, smirking.

"Arguing. They do that a lot, you know, for gods. Also, have none of you shown Loki any Disney movies? He looked so confused when I called him Prince Charming."

"Umm…I guess I haven't. I showed him others, but not Disney. And why did you call him Prince Charming exactly?"

Tony frowned, partially baffled and partially amused by her attitude. Darcy threw her hands in the air with an exaggerated motion of exasperation.

"He woke me up, that was the first thing that came to mind. But what's the point of being rich if you don't own, like, every movie?"

"I _actually_-"

Noises from upstairs cut off Tony's retort that he did, _in fact_, own most of the Disney movies.

Everyone looked towards the stairwell, from which came Loki's annoyed voice.

"I do _not_ need help, Thor, stop babying me."

Loki's voice was worse than Tony had expected. He leaned over to Natasha, muttering in her ear.

"You really weren't kidding when you said he sounded bad."

She nodded grimly.

"He sounded worse before."

There were a more sounds from upstairs, after a few moments more, Thor walked down the stairs again, glancing worriedly over his shoulder. From behind him, staggered Loki, taking each step slowly. Tony could tell that he was trying to hide his slowness, but failing. When he finally made it down the stairs, Tony grimaced.

The Trickster looked incredibly haggard, skin a chalky white hue, far paler than his already pale norm. The flesh around his nose was badly bruised, as if it had been recently broken. His usually sleek hair was lank, hanging around his face and intensifying the air of exhaustion around him. Coupled with that was his lack of chest armor, making him appear smaller. Instead of armor he wore a thin black undershirt; white bandages could be seen through it.

Despite all this, Loki still managed to throw Tony a glare hen he caught him with a sympathetic look.

"Hello everyone, shall we get going. Thor told me of Fury's summons."

Loki looked around the group, obviously trying to draw attention away from his appearance and voice. Steve glanced to Thor, who continued to hover protectively next to Loki.

"Yeah, let's go."

As they exited the building, Loki stumbled. He managed to catch himself but Thor offered him a hand, which Loki glared at until it was retracted.

On the Quinjet, Thor and Loki had been briefed on how everyone else had fared. While Thor told the team what had happened to them, Tony sat next to Loki, who was sitting, head back and eyes closed.

"You always manage to look like shit. How does that happen?"

Tony grinned, not speaking loud enough to disturb the others, but hoping to amuse his friend, who still looked sick. His words made Loki open his eyes, giving Tony a sidelong look.

"It's a talent."

"Some talent. But really, you managed to get yourself stabbed, again."

Loki frowned for a moment.

"When have I-oh, right, then. My mind is not exactly clear right now, excuse me if that dulls my wit."

"Then you'll be on par with the rest of us."

"That would be _dreadful_."

Their voices had risen enough for the others to hear Loki's sarcastic reply. Thor glanced from Loki to Tony, the hint of a smile on his face. He gave a small nod to Tony before continuing to speak with Steve. Tony looked back to Loki, whose eyes were half closed again.

"But really, I'm glad you're not dead."

"Mmm…you're welcome. Where are we meeting Fury, by the way?"

"On a Helicarrier."

Loki opened his eyes, lifting his head to look at Tony straight on.

"Really? Fury always seemed keen to keep me off of those. I don't think I've been on one since I arrived on Midgard."

"You haven't? Well, seeing what happened to the last one you were on, I can't say I blame him too much."

"You all were incredibly dense then. The fact that I did not flee when you were fighting with Thor, was that not suspicious to you?"

Tony didn't respond for a few moments, frowning.

"Yeah, well…we didn't know how you worked back then."

"Thor did."

Loki pointed out, looking to his brother, who was now sitting next to Jane. Tony gave a grudging nod.

"I guess, but he didn't mention anything. But what does that matter now?"

"I may have failed miserably, but I was able to manipulate you all quite well at the beginning. It was quite gratifying."

"_Loki_."

Tony stared at him, eyebrow arched. Loki shrugged slightly, wincing a second after the motion, then lay his head back again.

"As I said, dulled mind, probably shouldn't have said that. But it was."

"Try not to bring that up around Fury though. Or Clint for that matter."

"Where is Clint, by the way?"

A spot of turbulence postponed Tony's answer and made Loki cringe, a soft gasp escaping him before he bit his lip. Tony stared at him for a moment, but spoke after Loki waved a dismissive hand.

"He was at the Tower with Bruce and Pepper. Fury sent for someone to pick them up, they'll be meeting us on the Helicarrier."

"Ah, I see."

With that, Loki closed his eyes again, essentially ending the conversation.

It was another hour or so before they came up on the Helicarrier. When they were allowed clearance, Tony turned to wake Loki up. Instead finding the god fully aware and alert. After the Quinjet landed, back hatch opening, everyone filed out. Tony kept and eye on Loki, noting Thor doing the same. Loki drew himself up to the fullness of his formidable height, appearing less weak then he had previously.

As they walked the hallways of the carrier, Tony noticed Loki's occasional stumbles or half steps that denounced jut how tired he actually was. Eventually they met up with Director Fury, Clint, and Bruce. Pepper was also there, although appearing as if she didn't know quite why. Fury looked them all over, eye lingering on Loki's ragged appearance.

"Good, in here."

They entered a room; a single table lined by high-backed chairs was the only thing in it. Fury looked to the camera in the ceiling as everyone sat down.

"Stop all recordings in this room. Security override; orders, Fury, Nicholas J."

There was a beep and Fury sat at the head of the table. He looked to Pepper, Jane, and Darcy, who all stood awkwardly by the door.

"This is all undisclosed information. You are not to speak a word of this to anyone outside this room. Do you understand me?"

Jane nodded, looking to Darcy, who did the same. Pepper nodded curtly, appearing more at ease than the two younger women. Fury turned back to the team, surveying them all one more time.

"Something was stolen during the time when we were preoccupied. It was taken without any alerts that it was in danger, leading me to assume magic was involved. But the object was-"

"You fool. What did I tell you only a few short months ago?"

Loki cut him off with a growl, hoarse voice full of cold disdain. Everyone stared at him. Fury furrowed his brow with a scowl.

"Oh, you can guess what it is? I've done nothing but tell you how it was stolen."

"I only know of one object in your possession worthy of piquing Amora's interest. I had hoped that I was mistaken, but by your tone I see that I am not. I told you it should have gone with me. It was mine to begin with and you could not protect it well enough.

"Wait…they took the scepter?"

Steve broke in, his alarmed expression echoing across the team's faces. Clint's expression darkened, almost resembling Loki's scowl.

"This is just fucking _fantastic_."

Fury looked to Clint before addressing Loki again.

"They did take your scepter. WE can't allow that, S.H.I.E.L.D. is already searching, using the readings we took from it to look for its radiation signature but you all need to be on guard. Thing is, the scepter wouldn't do anything while we had it, I think it was dormant. But it's not dormant anymore. The radiation spike in the place where it was being held tells us that."

"Do you have any idea what it can do? No wait, you don't because to fully control it, one has to posses the ability to use magic. I suppose it's a good thing you were too incompetent to unlock what it could do or you would have written it down somewhere and then Allan and Amora would know _exactly_ what it can do."

Loki hissed, voice full of furious malice. His anger made everyone tense. Despite the exhaustion he had shown, Loki stood, eyes flashing, a dark scowl on his face. Thor, who was sitting next to him, placed a calming hand on his arm.

"Loki-"

"Take your hand off of me. _None_ of you fully understand what the scepter is capable of. I allowed S.H.I.E.L.D. to keep it, despite my better judgment, hoping that you would keep to your word and know how to protect it. Yet I have been proven wrong, instead you let it fall into the hands of two people fully capable of manipulating its power and using it against us in a _plethora_ of imaginative ways."

Fury stood as well, advancing on the god. His snarl matched Loki's.

"I know better than to trust a maniac with his best weapon. And, you know what; you have no authority in this matter unless I give it to you. The scepter is officially S.H.I.E.L.D.'s property now, so either you're with us in finding it, or you're against us"

"You _need_ my help, you're afraid of its power, rightfully so. And you only know what I did with it."

Loki growled, eyes never leaving Fury's face. The whole room was tense, everyone gazing warily at the furious god. It was Pepper who broke the silence, her diplomatic tone fearful at first, but growing more confident as she spoke.

"You keep referring to this thing's power. Could you tell us what exactly it can do? That's a good place to start, to get everyone on the same page."

As she spoke, Loki turned towards her, his white-hot fury fading, although cool disdain was still plain in his eyes. He nodded.

"I suppose. Most of you know of its ability to warp minds, although that is dictated by the user, the stronger the mind the better the control."

Loki glanced to Clint, who was staring at him with dark eyes, before continuing.

"Of course, there are its destructive capabilities. But the scepter radiates chaotic energy, affecting everyone and everything in its presence. The scepter is no benign object to be left sitting around. These effects may not be evident in short-term exposure but they do occur. And if applied affectively it can break minds, not just control them. It all depends on how creative you can be. I addition to that, the scepter can increase the innate power of the one using it, both magical and physical, by a significant degree."

"Does it have something that makes it easier to find, perchance?"

Steve spoke up after Loki had finished, trying to keep the conversation diplomatic. Loki turned to him, the force of his anger significantly lessened and replaced by exhaustion once more.

"Not that I know of. But, as I mentioned, it breeds chaos. It hasn't been used it a few years, now that it's active it's no doubt bursting with chaotic energy ready to be relinquished. Allan or Amora will use it soon, I am sure. And when the do, we will know."

**00000**

"Isn't it magnificent? I can feel the power it contains from here, glorious."

Allan remarked as Amora tested the scepter, blasting apart targets with blue energy. She tossed it up, catching it effortlessly with her other hand, turning towards Allan.

"Yes it is. It far outpaces any Midgardian weapons I have encountered, even most Asgardian ones. Why Loki let this slip from his control I will not understand."

"But _he_ is the only one who knows what exactly it can do. Unless you do."

The Enchantress looked up from the scepter, green eyes flashing with annoyance.

"Sadly, I do not. Its power does not resemble any Asgardian technology. I assume that is because it comes from the place between realms, whose technology varies, I am not aware of those. But what matters is its potential. Now that I have truly felt the scepter's power, I agree with your idea, mortal."

"Of course."

Allan nodded, holding out his hand expectantly. After a few moments of hesitation, Amora relinquished control of the scepter, a scowl crossing her face.

"I suppose I must wait for you to get your underlings into position?"

"Indeed, I apologize for the inconvenience but we are not as powerful as you."

His words seemed to appease Amora slightly, although she continued to gaze at him with some disdain.

"Very well, I will return when you call for me. Hurry along your people, I will not indulge your incompetence longer than needed."

With that, Amora disappeared. Allan looked down at the scepter, blue gem radiating light and power. He tore his eyes away, frown furrowing his brow.

_What a dangerous weapon…so much chaotic energy, it's no wonder this was Loki's. I should be careful; this may have opened Pandora's Box. The Enchantress has only become more dangerous to me, if she was not useful I would discard of her. But I must tread lightly to avoid disaster._

* * *

**AN: It actually took me less time than I thought it would to write the chapter, so that's good. What did you think of this chapter? Hopefully I can finish the next chapter soon.**


	5. Chapter 5

"You all will have to stay in the Tower until we sort this out. But, Jane you can have a field day with any of my tech and Dar, I don't know, what do you like doing?"

Tony had told Jane and Darcy as he showed them to their temporary rooms. They both nodded thankfully, Darcy grinning widely.

"Well, this is way better than any place I've stayed before. And don't you worry, I'll keep myself busy."

With that, Darcy had disappeared into her room. Jane had thanked him, leaving to speak with Thor. Tony had stood there for a while, not sure of what to do next. He knew Natasha and Clint were probably going over any data given to them by S.H.I.E.L.D. with Steve. He had to assume Bruce was helping them as well. He wasn't sure what Thor and Sif were going before, but now they were probably talking with Jane. And then there was Loki.

The god had disappeared into his room as soon as they had returned, claiming that he was tired, which honestly probably wasn't completely a lie. Still, after his outburst on the Helicarrier, Loki had been completely silent, save for when he had excused himself. Tony sighed, deciding to check up on him.

"I worry about a thousand-year old god too much."

Once he reached the floor, Tony went to knock on Loki's door. Just before he did, he heard Loki's voice coming from inside.

"Of course, but it possesses so much power. Even I do not know its full capabilities."

There was a pause; Tony leaned into the door, listening intently.

"Yes, it's not going to be an easy thing to resist either. I was told the scepter was dormant, which explains much. I believe…I can feel it again. I must assume that they did something to my mind, connecting it to the scepter in some way, perhaps. In any matter, I do not know how it will react against me, I-"

Loki's voice stopped short. Then the door slid open and Tony stumbled inside. He immediately looked up to Loki sheepishly. The god, who sat on his bed, still looked exhausted, but he gave Tony a chastising look.

"It's rude to eavesdrop. Did anyone ever teach you that?"

"I-ah…sorry."

Tony stammered out a reply, noticing that Loki was sitting facing the large tapestry on his wall. That explained who he was talking to. Loki stared at him for a moment longer before massaging his forehead.

"What do you want, Tony?"

"Well, after your freak-out on the Helicarrier, I just wanted to se if you had calmed down."

"Obviously. Being angry takes more effort than I am willing to exert in my current condition and anger will not fix the situation, it took me too long to grasp that so I try to keep to it. I simply…how much did you hear?"

"Wh-oh, you were talking about not knowing what it might do against you."

Loki stayed silent for a moment after Tony's reply. He looked back to the tapestry, nodding slightly. His silence made Tony roll his eyes with impatience.

"Earth to Loki? Maybe, instead of ignoring me, you could actually explain the situation. Maybe I could help because you look and sound more worried than before."

"I can contribute my appearance to being stabbed with a poisoned dagger and going through the process of purging that poison in a rudimentary way within the last twenty-four hours."

"I get that, but I'm not going to ignore, A: how much you freaked out at Fury and B: how quickly you locked yourself in here, it was faster than usual, as sad as it sounds to say that. And don't expect me to buy your crap about just being tired, because I don't."

Tony stared down Loki, who seemed taken aback. They both stayed silent, out of the corner of his eye; Tony saw the tapestry images shift. He ignored them, not taking his eyes off Loki. Eventually the god's silence relented and he swung his legs over the edge of his bed, standing with a wince.

"At least you are less demanding than Thor would be; if he believed something was truly wrong with me he would be far less lenient."

"I'm not-"

Loki silenced him with a look.

"Compared to most Asgardians, you are positively a push over."

"So, if they were demanding when they worried, what were they like when you screwed up…or lied?"

A harsh laugh escaped Loki's lips, cut short by a grimace.

"They could be quite…inventive. I have a scar on my lip that attests to one of them. You don't get off easily, even when you're young. I met some lovely people during some of them. Amora was one of those people. I, even at the age I was then, saw that she held potential. We became friends, I taught her much and she taught me some things that my mother, or the books, had not. If you wish, I feel that it is fair for you to know my history with Amora, it will help you understand."

"Alright."

Tony shrugged, leaning against Loki's elaborate dresser, watching the god as he began to pace.

"I was angry, then. I believed my punishment was not warranted. Because of that anger, I ignored my better judgment. When I should have just ignored the woman who sat next to me in an inn while I was disguised, I instead did not. Once I was allowed to return to Asgard, I thought I would never see her again. It just so happens, I was wrong."

Loki paused for a moment, glancing at Tony to read his expression.

"She was brought in under suspicion of sabotaging a group of merchants in…Vanaheim I think it was. The crime was not important enough to go before the All-Father, but it just so happened I was observing the lower lawmakers the day she was brought in. Her sudden reappearance was jarring. Once I spoke to her privately, I wanted to help her escape her imprisonment. She…she had been someone when I was supposed to have no one. I was so deeply grateful for her existence in that time, that I wanted to thank her in any way I could. So I did, I aided her escape."

"Did you get caught?"

Tony watched as Loki smirked, shaking his head while not facing Tony.

"Of course not. She was already adept at…altering people's minds, with my help it was more than simple. But after that, she disguised herself as an apprentice of one of the royal library's scribes. That gave her the perfect position to both study anything she wanted, while also still being able to speak with me. It was an almost ideal arrangement. We stayed like that for a few decades. Despite the mocking from many of Thor's friends for falling for some unimportant scribe, I, for the first time, had someone who cared more about me than Thor."

Loki stopped short, recognizing the bitterness that had crept into his voice. He turned back to Tony, whose expression was one of masked surprise.

"Once Amora did leave it was some time before I saw her again. But the time between then and now, it matters not. What matters is that Amora knows me well, better than almost anyone. She can read me like no other, one of the few people that can, and if she has access to the scepter she could do quite a bit of damage. To me, to humanity, to anyone and everyone."

"You were talking about being connected to the scepter when I was…er, listening in."

Tony cut in, picking up a clear glass sphere that rested on Loki's dresser and tossing it in the air. On the third toss, the sphere disappeared just before Tony could catch it. He looked to Loki, who gave him an admonishing look, sphere clutched in one hand.

"Don't touch, you might regret it if you drop this. Well, everyone in the tri-state area might regret it."

"Uh…got it, don't touch. But back to the scepter; does Amora having it affect you in any different way?"

Loki grimaced, setting the sphere down in his bedside table. Before looking back to Tony.

"I didn't want to tell…it may just be my imagination-"

"Humor me."

"Ah…when I first came to Earth with the scepter, it obeyed my every will and command. When I wanted it to cause chaos among you, it did. I could feel it and through it, The Other. But after Natasha shut down the Tessaract, it just…stopped. I could no longer feel it, even when you all confronted me in the tower; even then the scepter had gone dormant. The feeling, like some unscratchable itch, stayed gone. Then, not too long after I was stabbed by Amora, I could feel it again. At first I thought it was just an after effect of the poison…but I realize that was my own denial to the truth."

There were a few seconds of silence following Loki's words. Then Tony let out a heavy sigh.

"So, what's it doing, screwing with your head?"

"Not yet, but that is not out of the realm of possibility."

"Then we _need_ to get it away from Amora and Allan, before it does."

When Loki didn't respond, Tony cocked his head, crossing his arms.

"Is there something wrong with that idea?"

"No, of course not…just thinking."

"Right. Well, I'm not sure what to say about Amora. I get it, I do, but you're Loki. You know, the Trickster, God of Lies and Mischief? Did you expect her to just forget about that? She's not exactly all that trust worthy either, you even said it."

"I did not-it was a bad idea, I fully recognize that. It won't happen again."

Tony pushed himself off the dresser, moving across the room, closer to Loki.

"Swear?"

The god frowned in confusion.

"I swear? Is that necessary? Why would I-"

"Because you're you, that why. Now, I would invite you to have a drink with me, relax a bit, watch some movies, but you really do look like you need some sleep, proper sleep."

Tony clapped Loki on the shoulder, who winced for half a second, but gave him a tight smile.

"Yes, sleep would speed my healing. I will speak with you later, Tony. Thank you for listening. And…please don't tell the others what I told you."

"Thanks for telling me. I won't."

**00000**

Once Tony had left the room, Loki dropped his smile, turning back to Hel and the others. The tapestry image of Hel stood. Her voice sounded in Loki's head.

_"Your loudmouthed mortal friend is right, sleep would do you well, father."_

"Loudmouthed? Ah, you spoke with him once before, I forgot. Yes, he can be. Perhaps I will sleep later, but there are more important things to discuss."

Loki lay on his bed as he spoke, mindful of the slowly healing wound on his back. Tapestry Hel nodded, hand running along Jormungandr's coils.

_"Do you truly believe that the Other will break into your mind if you touch the scepter again?"_

"I did fail them. It seems likely to me."

_"Yet you did not tell the mortal of your fears."_

"He should not worry. It is more important to get the scepter from Amora and Allan, what happens to me afterwards is inconsequential."

Hel's disapproval could be felt radiating in Loki's mind. He closed his eyes, running a hand through his hair, which was a knotted mess.

_I'll have to fix that in the morning._

"What is it, mine daughter? Why do you disapprove?"

_"Do not be so quick to throw away your own importance. But I feel, as do all of us, that the presence of The Enchantress has made you lose focus of the mortal sorcerer. He is the mastermind behind all of this, not her. She has not caused you so much grief recently as he."_

"Yes, but Allan does not show his face as often as Amora. And because I have no idea where he is, she is my first priority."

Loki could feel the heaviness of exhaustion in his limbs. He considered standing as to continue speaking, but Hel spoke again.

_"You should sleep father. I can sense how tired your body is."_

"My mind would not let me rest even if I wanted to. It buzzes with thoughts."

_"Then we will help calm it."_

"Help? Oh, no you don't-"

A flood of images and sounds entered Loki's mind as he trailed off. The soft noises of Asgard at night mixed with water flowing past water, calming his racing thoughts. An image of Asgard's night sky appeared before his closed eyes. Finally, a softly sung tune wound its way through Loki's mind. Just before he fell asleep, he heard Hel's voice.

_"Sleep, father. I suspect you will need all that you can get."_

**00000**

The smell of coffee and bacon pervaded the room. Tony raised his empty plate for Steve, who was handing a mug of coffee to Pepper with a smile, to see. He tapped his fork against his cup to get Steve's attention.

"Hey, Rodgers, hit me up with another round."

Steve gave him a mock glare.

"Or you could get it yourself."

Natasha spoke up from the couch.

"Yeah. Tony, respect your elders. Don't make the senior citizen get your breakfast. What if he falls and can't get up?"

"_Hilarious_, Nat."

Steve replied sarcastically while Tony snickered. After Tony got more food, Darcy came and sat next to him. She speared a bit of scrambled egg with her fork and pointed an accusing finger at him.

"I still have a bone to pick with you for not showing Loki what childhood is like not in space. I know that Thor has seen a few Disney movies with Jane. Has Captain Perfect-Jaw seen any of them?"

"_Darcy_, you need a filter for what comes out of you mouth, I swear."

Jane cut in, glancing embarrassedly at Steve, who had a sheepish grin on his face. Darcy waved a dismissive hand.

"I only preach the truth. But has he?"

"I saw Snow White around the time it came out, before the war, with a…friend. But Nat did show me some of the newer ones."

Steve spoke up for Tony, who stared at Darcy with a bemused expression. Darcy turned around in her chair to look at him.

"_You saw-_right, older than you look, forgot. You know, I take back what I once said. Older men can be pretty attractive. There's you, and you're like ninety, then there's Thor and Loki, and they're like nine-hundred."

Darcy grinned at Steve's surprise before turning back to Tony and her food. After a few moments of silence, she glanced around the room.

"Speaking of, where is Loki?"

"He's still asleep, I checked. But even if he wasn't, he probably wouldn't come down for a while today."

Tony sighed with exasperation, jumping as a hand was placed on his shoulder. He looked up. It was Thor.

"Did you speak with my brother last night?"

"For a little bit, why?"

Thor moved to sit across from Tony; Sif joined them a moment later. Tony got the distinct impression this was planned.

"What did you speak of with him?"

"Er…I convinced him he needed some sleep."

"Did you speak of Amora?"

Sif leaned forward on the table, gazing seriously at Tony.

"Not really."

"Well, Sif and I believe that, once she is apprehended, she should be returned to Asgard. To face punishment for her transgressions."

Thor looked to Sif, then to Tony, who nodded.

"Sure, sounds fine. But why don't we just ask Asgard for help in the first place? A few months ago you said your…rainbow bridge, or whatever, was being fixed."

"The Bifrost may be fully repaired by now, but this matter does not concern Asgard. It is for those of us here to solve. Even with Loki's scepter in account."

Tony frowned, taking a sip of his coffee.

And why is that? Loki told me that Asgard's armies had protected Earth before."

"Yes, but Midgard was under the threat of the Jotun, all of them. One rouge Asgardian does not warrant for our army's involvement."

Sif stated matter-of-factly. Thor took over when she finished.

"But we just wished to know if Loki had told you something that would make that a bad idea, that is all."

"Oh, no he didn't."

"That is good. We apologize for disturbing you."

With that, Thor and Sif stood, returning to one of the couches. Tony sighed, looking back to Darcy, who had been listening while finishing her food."

"Fun."

"You don't know the half of it."

"Seeing as I'm stuck here, for who knows how long, I might as well learn more. _After_ I confiscate Mr. Dark-haired Hermit for a day of watching Disney movies, that is."

Tony chuckled, downing the last of his coffee and looking to the clock.

"Probably not today, if he's not up by now, he won't be for a while. It happens sometimes after big fights."

"Aah, no fun."

**00000**

The door opened and Allan looked up as a young man in black entered. He stood silently until Allan motioned for him to speak.

"Sir, The Enchantress wants to know how our plans go. What should I tell her?"

"We need another two or three days. Then we can get the information we need."

"Yes sir."

The boy left and Allan turned back to his computer. Various readings and video feeds were being displayed. After one last inspection, he spun his chair towards the black, sealed case. He kicked it open with a swift motion. The scepter hummed with energy as he held it.

"Chaotic little thing. The more time I spend in your presence…the more I feel as if you are _far_ more than you seem. Even far more than I first perceived. And I can only think of one person who knows if I am right."

Allan smiled to himself as he ran his fingers along the patterns set into the gold-like metal. The hum of energy seemed to increase.

"It's a pity I don't understand your power and the only one that does isn't going to be very cooperative. But I'll get you figured out, to see what you can truly do. As long as I'm not too reckless with you, I believe you will work for me."

As Allan placed the scepter back into its case, he felt its energy spike. He warily closed the lid.

"If an inanimate object can have character, then you most certainly do."

* * *

**AN: Thanks so much for telling me your thoughts on the story so far. It makes me so happy to hear that you all are liking it. What do you think of this chapter, if you want to leave your thoughts. Hopefully the next chapter will be out in a week or less.**


	6. Chapter 6

A splash of water jolted Loki awake. He jerked upwards, flinging his hand out. A yelp from his left made him turn. Tony was pushed against the wall, flung there by the wave of magic Loki had created. Loki stared at him for a moment, then dispelled the magic. Tony fell, spluttering, to the floor.

"_What the hell_? No wonder they sent me to wake you up."

"Why did you soak me with water?"

Loki wiped the water from his face, still glaring at Tony.

"Because we decided you had slept for long enough…and I thought it would be funny."

"What?"

"You slept for two days, jackass."

"I…really?"

Tony poked at his ribs, wincing, before looking back to Loki, who seemed surprised.

"Yeah, it's a new record."

"Why didn't you wake me?"

"Because, Thor and Sif said that you guys heal best while resting. Seeing how you just threw my ass against the wall, I have to agree."

As Loki stood he felt around his back, his fingers moved over the bandages. He began to unwrap them, grinning. Once they were off he felt around his back again, finding nothing but smooth skin.

"Wonderful, I may not like you keeping me out of it for that long, but I am well healed. What food do we have?"

"Hold your horses, bright eyes. You can have food _after_ you take a shower. Your hair looks like it's trying to eat your face."

Tony grinned as he dodged the book Loki threw at him, running out of the room.

After Loki cleaned up he concentrated, appearing next to Tony in a flash. Tony jumped violently, dropping the mug of coffee he held. Loki caught it before it could break, grinning at Tony, who was cursing furiously.

"Is it so hard to use the damn elevator? Or did you think it would be so damn funny to give me a heart attack? Don't answer that,_ for the love of-_"

"It _was_ amusing. Apparently not to you, though."

Loki interrupted him as everyone else grinned. After a few moments, Thor spoke up from the couch.

"Brother, how do you feel?"

"Fantastic. As good as new, if not better."

"That is good to hear, brother. I am glad that our decision to not wake you was effective."

Once Loki had eaten, he sat down on the couch, growing more serious.

"So, has anything happened? I assume you would have awoken me if something had, but still."

There were a few moments of silence, before Steve spoke up.

"Not much. We haven't had anymore readings or anything that could tip us off. It's all been very quiet, which probably isn't a good thing."

Loki nodded, eyes seemingly focused on something none of them could see.

"Indeed. Perhaps they are simply trying to understand how the scepter functions. But I have a feeling they will act soon."

"Really, why do you think that?"

Clint leaned forward from his spot next to Natasha.

"It's just a hunch."

Loki looked pointedly at Tony, who frowned with confusion. A moment later though, his eyes lit up with realization and he gave a small nod. Natasha noticed the exchange, narrowing her eyes, but spoke as if nothing had occurred.

"There's nothing we really can do but wait and be prepared for something to happen."

"I suppose."

As everyone started to drift into separate conversations, Loki looked to where Tony had been sitting. Instead finding himself face to face with Darcy. He jerked back in surprise.

"You know how I called you prince Charming when you woke me up?"

"Er…yes?"

"I'm guessing you didn't get the reference. So, I asked around and found out that you haven't seen any of the animated Disney movies, which is a travesty. Wanna watch 'em?"

Darcy's enthusiasm stunned Loki for a moment, as he stared at her, wide-eyed.

"What are…sure, I guess. When do you-"

"We have time now. Hey guys, you want to watch some movies with us?"

Loki tinged pink as everyone looked to Darcy. Tony shrugged, content to sit down for a while longer next to Pepper. Steve nodded enthusiastically, while Bruce absently voiced his agreement, busy reading news from his laptop. Thor smiled, moving to sit next to Loki with Jane, soon Sif followed suit. Lastly Clint, after receiving a poke in the ribs from Natasha, agreed.

Once everyone was situated, Darcy spoke up again.

"So, which movie should we start with? The classics or should we vote?"

After a hectic voting process, they all agreed to watch the movies in order of age, oldest to newest. After Snow white, Loki received a jab from Darcy.

"See, Snow White got woken up by Prince Charming. And you woke me up."

"Right. But how did the prince find her, why did the queen not just kill her? That would have been simpler."

"Why did you piss off the Avengers before taking over Manhattan?"

Loki went silent with a nasty look to Darcy, which she ignored. While on the third movie, Sleeping Beauty, Loki made a small comment on Maleficent.

"I like her; she's a good villain for these children films."

"Is it the horns? I bet it's the horns."

"Tony, if you don't-"

"So it _is_, I guess you are going to like someone who shares your sense of style."

Tony grinned, ducking behind Pepper to avoid Loki's furious stare.

"It is _not_! She is obviously powerful, if I were a child she would be menacing. It has nothing to do with-"

"Boys, are you really arguing over a children's movie?"

Both of them went quiet as Pepper spoke up, her voice exasperated but betrayed by the amused smile on her face. Loki crossed his arms, staying silent up until the Lion King, where, at what Scar did, he stiffened. During some of the scenes he would look to Thor, who was also looking at him. They exchanged glances but said nothing.

Then, once the movie was finished and Darcy had stood to get the next, Loki jerked his head towards the windows, eyes sharp. After a moment, he tensed and threw a hand out towards Darcy. She was jerked backwards as Loki jumped forward.

"Duck!"

Everyone scattered as a burst of blue energy shattered the windows. The protective barrier Loki had thrown up seemed to do nothing as he was tossed against the far wall, crashing into it and creating a decently sized hole. The shattered glass pelted the team as they ducked for cover. Steve was the first to recover, bounding over to check on Darcy, who was nearest to him. Her eyes were panicked, but not focused on the window or the wreckage of the furniture.

"Ah-H…Hu-"

Steve followed her gaze to Bruce, who was pinned under one of the couches. Steve's face blanched as Bruce began to shudder.

"We need to get the ladies out of here, _now_. Bruce is hulking out!"

The team leapt to action at his shout, Thor held out his hand for Mjolnir as he positioned himself between Jane and Bruce. Tony helped Pepper to her feet as he frantically searched the floor for his wrist cuffs. As Steve helped Darcy up, he scanned the room for a fast way to get three people to safety. His eyes landed on Loki, who has extracted himself from the wreckage of the wall, holding his ribs gingerly.

"Loki, can you get them somewhere safe? Bruce is-"

A roar cut Steve off, the Hulk ripping furniture off oh him. Loki nodded, hurdling over wreckage to the three women, who had gathered together. He grabbed onto Darcy's arm as the Hulk turned to face Thor, now wielding Mjolnir but holding his hands in a non-threatening manner.

"Bruce, you must calm yourself. This is not what you wish to do."

As Thor spoke, Loki motioned for the women to lock hands. They did. Loki began the incantation in his heads, wincing as the Hulk swatted at Steve, then Clint, both barely dodging his greedy hands. The last thing Loki saw before the incantation finished was the Hulk, snatching Tony, who had yet to find his wrist cuffs, by the ankle and hoisting him up.

Then his vision wavered and shifted.

Loki hit the ground hard, energy rapidly draining as the effort of moving four people took its toll. His knees buckled and the brick pavement rushed towards him. A pair of hands grabbed onto him but barely slowed his fall.

"Loki! Loki you need to get up. Tony-he was-did you see-"

Pepper stopped speaking as Loki pushed himself up to a kneeling position.

"I saw, just…I need a moment."

Black dots flashed across Loki's vision as he forced himself to stand. The women's faces swum in and out of focus. Loki heard Jane's voice speaking above an infernal buzzing in his head.

"What was that? Was it the-"

"The scepter, a blast of energy from the scepter."

After a few more moments of light-headedness Loki's energy stabled out enough for him to adjust. He looked to the tower, from where they stood in the city he could make out a gaping hole in its side, before turning back to the women.

"You'll be safe here. Pepper, could you possibly get in contact with someone you trust to pick you up, or contact S.H.I.E.L.D.? I need to get back there."

Pepper nodded, reaching into her pocket for her phone. Loki looked to Jane and Darcy, inclining his head slightly, before closing his eyes again. He felt his body shifting once more as his feet left the ground.

Loki opened his eyes to find himself face to face with the, still out-of-control, Hulk. He yelped in surprise and dove out-of-the-way, narrowly avoiding being grabbed. He looked around, taking note of everyone but Tony, who was nowhere to be seen. Before he could do any more, a pair of long nailed hands grabbed his shoulder. Loki heard someone shout out before he could turn around.

_"No!"_

Then, to Loki's surprise, the world went dark and his body shifted again.

**00000**

He hit the floor, springing up immediately. A wave of dizziness rolled over him as he did and he wavered.

"I'm sorry; I forgot too much teleportation can fry your head, can't it? Whoops."

Amora's voice rose above the harsh ringing in Loki's ears, cold and mocking. Loki grit his teeth, trying to rid himself of the dizziness. His, again unsteady, vision failing to focus on Amora, revealing only a fuzzy, green clad, figure with, what he knew was, long golden hair. But a dot of bright blue light drew his eyes, shining through the haze of his sight. Amora's voice spoke again.

"Hopefully I did not completely fry you; I still need to know how you get this thing to work at full capacity."

"That's a problem for you now, isn't it? Maybe I don't want to tell you."

The dot of blue light moved closer to him as Loki tried to get his vision to focus, attempting to ignore his ringing head and lurching stomach. As it did, the scepter's point came closer to his chest. Out of instinct, Loki put his hand on the unsharpened edge to push it away.

When his skin made contact with the metal, there was a howl in his mind and the landscape seen through is fuzzy vision disappeared. He tried to pull his hand away from the scepter but felt melded to the metal. Then a misshapen hand grabbed his face and achingly familiar pain jolted his mind to awareness.

"The mewling creature has returned to us."

The Other circled around Loki, keeping a hand, which radiated spiking pain, on his face. Loki was rooted to the spot by, seemingly, both the Other and the panic that stiffened his limbs.

"You failed, so incompetent as to fail your task to a planet of weaklings. Did you forget what I told you would happen if you failed?"

Loki eyed the Other, attempting not to react to the burning pain that spread from its touch to underneath his skin, causing his muscles to jump and tighten.

"No matter what you do to me, you will not be able to rectify my mistake. You will not be able to take Earth, or the Tesseract."

"You say that against us? Against him? You are nothing; if we desire Earth then we will have it. You are nothing but an ant, pathetic, unimportant."

"Then end me. If I mean nothing, then end me, enjoy it."

Menace radiated from the Other as it came to face Loki again, looking completely ready to kill him. Eerie noises floated through space as things in the darkness shifted around them. The sounds and situation sent chills down Loki's spine.

_I can't hurt him, but he can hurt me. There is nothing…I can…_

The Other moved to grab Loki by the neck. Burning pain spread across Loki's throat, suffocating him. The Other leaned close to him.

"Your last sensation will be the pain of your nerves splitting and your limbs burning from the inside."

Loki attempted to fry at the Other's grip but it was firm and the skin contact sent spasms through his fingers. AS the burning sensation encompassed Loki's throat, his vision began to flash red as air failed to reach his lungs.

Then something different from the Other hit his face and the world around him flickered. Another hit and it disappeared. A nailed hand drew back to slap him again but Loki caught it with his own.

"What was that? Loki, Loki can you hear me?"

Amora pulled the scepter away, a flicker of worry in her expression surprised Loki. The phantom pain of his nerves exploding made Loki slow to respond, his muscles still jumping. When he finally did find his voice, Loki took a cautious step closer to Amora.

"Amora, that's what happens if I tell you how to work the scepter. Give it to me and it won't hurt you, understand?"

Loki held out a shaking hand but the soft look in Amora's green eyes disappeared.

"Liar, do not attempt to dissuade me with your falsities. If you do not tell me, I'll poke you again, if it is real, then I could leave you seizing and for dead. But I doubt it is."

Despite Amora's commanding tone, her eyes betrayed uncertainty. Whatever had happened after Loki had touched the scepter seemed to have spooked her. Loki kept his expression neutral.

"Am I? Did whatever happened to me when I touched it truly look faked? Maybe you shouldn't play with fire, it could burn you. You don't want to be burned, Amora, trust me."

"Maybe I don't burn as easily as you. You can't handle fire like I can. In the blood maybe."

Loki drew back, stung by Amora's words and cold eyes.

"That was cold, Amora."

"Not as-"

"Don't. Do not finish that thought."

Amora grinned teasingly, trying to take attention off of her previously revealed sympathy, but Loki noticed how gingerly she held the scepter and how far she kept it from her body. Loki glanced around them, searching for something that would give him time to get away, he had to get back to the others, to see what had happened to Tony and if they had calmed Bruce down.

The room was small, dark, completely barren as far as Loki could see, with a single steel door, a small one-way window set into it. He looked back to the scepter, growing desperate, and reached out with his mind. A burst of blue energy exploded from it, making Amora yelp, nearly dropping the scepter. Loki prepared to flee but a calm voice stopped him in his tracks.

"It's been a while, hasn't it, Loki?"

* * *

**AN: I'm so sorry, this chapter took longer than it should have. Blame it on me starting to watch Supernatural, as if I didn't need something else to ruin my life further. What did you think of this chapter? Hopefully the next won't take as long, I really meant to update on Friday but...Supernatural happened. Sorry again but hopefully it wasn't too long a wait.**


	7. Chapter 7

"Allan."

The plain-looking man was paler then when they had last met and he no longer wore a sleek business suit, instead donning a dark shirt that seemed to be padded with, what Loki assumed was, bullet-proof material, and grey pants. Allan smiled the same completely unconcerned one that he always had.

"You remember me, I'm honored. Mmm…you look exhausted, was it what the scepter did to you? Or perhaps the beating your molecules took from over exposure to cellular travel, you call it teleportation I assume."

Loki drew himself up, attempting to rid himself of any outward signs of weakness, while beginning to gather his energy, preparing to flee.

"That was merely an act. I have more than enough strength to do what I please, including ending your miserable existence."

"No, you don't, or you would have fled already. No matter how well you deceive most, you forget that I have seen you under true pain and true exhaustion. And I would not place myself in your reach were it otherwise."

Allan moved forward, taking the scepter from Amora without a moment's hesitation.

"See, Loki, I know you can make this work to its fullest. But I don't believe it will hurt me if I know. So please, enlighten me."

"It may just respond to me, it might not ever be able to work for you. That thing was not my invention, I am not completely aware of its inner workings."

That was only partially true but it seemed to concern Allan for a few moments. His pause gave Loki an opportunity to finish gathering his energy and begin to recite the incantation in his head. Once Allan did recover, he nodded.

"Perhaps, but that doesn't mean you cannot tell me."

"Actually, I'm afraid that won't quite work. I apologize, Allan, I would love to kill you but-"

Loki was cut off as Allan swung the scepter's point towards him with surprising speed and loosed a burst of energy from it, sending him flying back, colliding painfully with the concrete wall. He was stunned for a moment, unable to catch his breath. Another blast of energy made his vision flash blue before going black, as he lost consciousness.

**00000**

"I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry, I-"

"Bruce it's alright."

Steve put a reassuring hand on Bruce's shoulder.

"But it was me that did this. Now Tony's out cold for, god knows how long, with broken bones and head injuries to boot, and Loki is missing."

Bruce ran a hand through his hair as he spoke, gazing desolately at Tony, who lay on a hospital bed in the room next to them, doctors moving around him insistently. The team and women watched from a viewing window. They had moved him to the nearest S.H.I.E.L.D. complex as soon as they could.

After a few moments, Steve turned away from Bruce, looking to Pepper, who was watching the doctors' work with a closed expression, although her eyes glistened with worry. Then he looked to Thor, tapping him on the shoulder and motioning for them to speak. Thor nodded and they moved away from the window. Natasha raised a questioning eyebrow at Steve, which he nodded to in response. Once they had moved farther away, Steve spoke in a quiet voice.

"It's been five hours now and there's been no sign of Loki. We know Amora nabbed him and that she had the scepter. If Loki was…alright, he would be back by now, right?"

Thor's expression darkened and it was a moment before he responded.

"I…I do not know. I do not wish it to be so, but I fear it is. Amora most likely brought him to Allan, which worries me. We know what he is capable of and, if he catches my brother off guard, he could do great harm."

"Is there anything we could use to find him? Anything at all?"

"Nothing more than what he have already tried."

Steve grimaced at Thor's words but looked up to see Sif joining them. Her eyes were bright with an idea.

"We have not been able to find them through and Midgardian methods. I think, now that Loki has gone missing, the matter could concern Asgard. If the Bifrost has been repaired, we could request Heimdall's assistance in finding him."

"But Loki is hidden from Heimdall and I'm sure Amora is as well."

"Ah, but is Allan? Or perhaps one of his underlings? Because, if they aren't, Heimdall can see them and lead us to Loki."

Sif smiled as she finished speaking, looking from Thor to Steve. Thor' expression slowly changed from uncertainty to confidence.

"That may work. If the Bifrost is repaired one of us could return to Asgard and alert them of what is happening here."

Steve listened to the two gods speak, their conversation drawing the team's attention. As everyone turned to listen, Steve spoke again.

"We're thinking of a way to find Loki. Thor and Sif want to get Asgard's help."

"More specifically, I can ask Heimdall to search for Allan."

Thor explained, looking around the group. It was Natasha who responded first, crossing her arms and shifting her weight slightly.

"How long would it take? We can't spare you for too long incase Amora or Allan decides to act up."

Sif and Thor exchanged thoughtful looks.

"I estimate that it would take mere moments for Heimdall to summon me to Asgard and find Allan but it depends on the All-Father's wishes. I must inform him of Amora's involvement and Loki's disappearance. Speaking with him may take some time."

The team considered their plan for a few minutes before, one-by-one, nodding. Bruce looked back to Tony before speaking up.

"Is there anyway you could get something to heal Tony?"

"I could, perhaps, convince the healers to prepare something."

Thor inclined his head and there was a noticeable drop in tension among the group. Steve waited for a few seconds before he spoke.

"So, how to you get in contact with, this, Heimdall?"

The two gods exchanged glances.

The team stood outside the S.H.I.E.L.D. facility, on a landing strip. As Thor stepped away from the group, red cape twisting in the breeze, he looked up, shouting over the wind and into the sky.

"Heimdall, if it has been repaired, open the Bifrost!"

For a moment nothing happened. Only the sound of the wind and city could be heard. Then there was a column of light and noise surrounding the spot where Thor stood. All, but Sif and Jane, turned away, shielding their eyes.

The light disappeared as suddenly as it had come, leaving a smoking pattern engraved in the concrete. Jane looked from the sky to the markings.

"What I would give for even _one day_ to study their technology."

**00000**

"Odinson, I am glad to see you well and in front of me."

"Gatekeeper, to you as well."

"But you are troubled."

As Thor bowed, he gazed around the new observatory. He turned to Heimdall, who watched him stoically, golden eyes piercing. At the Gatekeeper's words, Thor nodded.

"Yes. Many a problem troubles me. But the newest is the one that is worthy of troubling Asgard. It is Amora, the Chituari scepter, and Loki."

"Loki?"

Heimdall turned his eyes away from Thor, silent for a moment.

"I cannot see him, but he is often concealed from me. What has Loki done?"

"_Nothing_! Quite the opposite, he is missing and, we believe, held by Amora and a clever Midgardian man. This would usually worry me little, Loki is stronger than both of them on most occasions, but they have the Chitauri scepter."

Thor explained as Heimdall continued to stare into the stars. Once he finished speaking there were a few moments of quiet before Heimdall replied.

"I understand. I cannot sense Amora on Midgard; she may be shadowed from my gaze as well, but this man, what is his name?"

"Allan. He possesses magical ability, which may narrow your search."

Again Thor waited as Heimdall looked. It was slightly longer this time before he responded.

"Yes…I see a presence, possibly affected by other hidden ones. It is faint; perhaps a weak or incomplete concealing enchantment, but I do see him."

Thor's expression broke into one of relief and he again bowed to Heimdall.

"I am in your debt. Where do you see him?"

"I shall tell you before you return to Midgard. But I informed the All-Father of this, he wishes to speak with you."

The Gatekeeper motioned towards the golden city, not turning his gaze from the sea of stars. Thor gave one last thanks before leaving the observatory.

As Thor made his way up through the bustling city and towards the golden palace, he was often stopped or greeted by smiling citizens. Each greeted the crown prince whole-heartedly, which he, in turn, returned to them. He smiled to himself for a while after each encounter.

_Midgard may be my home, as of now, and my responsibility, but Asgard will always call at my heart. But, even as these people welcome me, I see how Loki may have grown bitterness in his heart from things like this. I suppose he was often in my shadow, I being the first to be seen, to be acknowledged._

"Prince Thor, it is good to see you on Asgard."

One of the palace guards bowed as Thor entered through the golden palace gates. He made his way towards where, one of the other guards had told him, his father was. About halfway there he heard someone call out to him.

"Thor, wait!"

Thor stopped, grinning as he spun around to envelope his mother in a hug. She smiled softly at him as she pulled back.

"I am glad to see you healthy, my son. I am glad to see you home as well."

"You are as radiant as ever, mother. It is good to be home."

"You flatter me; I am nothing but an old woman."

"Nay."

They smiled at each other for a few more moments before Thor's face fell into a more serious expression.

"I…have you been told why I am here?"

"Yes, your father told me. Do not worry over much, Loki is strong, in the end he will be fine. Come now; let us speak with your father."

Frigga placed a reassuring hand on Thor's arm and they continued towards Odin.

The All-Father stared down at Thor, Gungnir in one hand.

"You say that Amora and this mortal have possession of the Chituari scepter that Loki brought to Midgard? The humans did not protect it well enough; you should have returned it to Asgard with the Tesseract, not left it in their hands."

"Yes father, but I will fix this problem."

Thor dipped his head respectively, waiting for Odin to speak again.

"You are certain that Loki is not aiding Amora, as he has done in the past?"

The All-Father's words stung, but Thor repressed a defensive tone.

"He is not, I am sure of it. Loki is not conspiring against us, certainly not after Amora stabbed him and left him for dead."

"If you are certain. It is helpful to hear of these events and I will have Heimdall inform me of any more. You said you wished to return to Midgard, you may return now."

"Yes, All-Father, I shall."

With that, Thor stood turning away from his father and exiting the throne room. Frigga stopped him for a moment, giving him another quick hug.

"I suppose this is goodbye once again. Stay safe and keep your little brother safe as well. I wish I could help more, I would storm down there and pull him from Amora's clutches myself but…"

"But you have to keep everyone in order, after all, the palace would fall apart without its queen."

"_Hush_, now go on."

They exchanged one last smile before Thor began to make his way through the corridors. He stopped by one of the many healing chambers on his way out.

A young healer greeted him respectfully.

"Prince Thor, what service of ours brings you here today?"

Thor smiled back at the healer, motioning towards the shelves of herbs and assorted jars.

"A human friend of mine was injured and I have come to look for something useful in healing him."

The healer nodded, turning back to the shelves of ingredients. She picked a medium-sized vial from the assortment before looking to Thor.

"How severe are your friend's injuries? They will dictate what I must do, as Midgardians are less equipped to handle healing of this nature than us."

"He has many a broken bone and head trauma. Usually Loki would be able to remedy this but he is-"

Thor stopped, remembering how notoriously gossipy many of the healers could be. He didn't want the whole of Asgard knowing something had gone amiss.

"-He is weakened from the same skirmish that injured my friend and convinced me to ask for your help instead."

The healer arched an eyebrow but said nothing, beginning to gather things from the shelves. Thor watched as she worked, muttering, what he assumed to be, spells over the vial as she added ingredients. Once finished, she brought the vial, now filled with a golden liquid that seemed to glow faintly, up for Thor to see.

"There, this should be perfect. Make him drink it; he should be better within an hour or so of ingestion."

"Thank you, it is much appreciated."

Thor inclined his head, taking the vial gingerly, before exiting the chambers.

By the time he reached the observatory again, night had begun to fall in Asgard. Thor nodded to Heimdall, who turned his gaze to the stars once more. After a few moments, he spoke.

"He is in the far north of Midgard. The incomplete spell he used does block me from pinpointing his exact location, but I can sense the coldness about the air. The name of the place that I heard from his thoughts…somewhere in, what Midgardians now call, Iceland. Somewhere in or outside of a city in the far north of Iceland. I wish that I could be of more help, but the spell blocks much of his presence."

"No, Gatekeeper, thank you that is wonderfully helpful. I can now return to Midgard with something to go on in search of Loki."

As Heimdall summoned the Bifrost, Thor tightened his grip on the golden filled vial. The noise and light of the Bifrost built until it engulfed all else, pulling Thor away.

**00000**

Everyone looked up as Thor entered the room. He held a vial of golden liquid for them to see.

"This is for Tony. He must drink it, then he should begin to heal."

A S.H.I.E.L.D. doctor took the vial from Thor, leaving to enter Tony's room. The team crowded around the window. They watched as the liquid was extracted from the glass vial and poured down Tony's throat. It was only a few moments after that when Tony's vitals spiked into overdrive. Thor turned to the others.

"It is working. He should be back to good health in about an hour. But I must tell you all of my findings."

After Thor told them what Heimdall had seen, they spent the next hour speaking on and off with S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, Fury, and each other. What interrupted them was a noise from Tony's room. Tony had attempted to sit up, but a doctor was trying to make him lie down. Through the glass, they could hear him complaining.

"I don't want to _lie down_! I feel-_ah_!"

As Tony clutched at his ribs, everyone let out sighs of relief, Pepper foremost among them.

It was another fifteen or so minutes before Tony was able to join the group. He entered the room, immediately tackled by Pepper. They shared a quick hug before he looked to the rest of the group eyes settling on Bruce's guilty face.

"Bruce, don't look at me like that, you make me feel bad. It wasn't your fault and I'm not holding anything against you. Don't feel guilty about it. But I want to know what happened after I got knocked out."

It took less time for them to explain the situation to Tony. But when they finished he let out a low whistle.

"Well, everything went to shit, again. But, it couldn't be too hard to sweep Iceland; it's not all that big"

"Yes, but it might take a few days, at least. Still, we know where to look, that's more than we had before."

Natasha spoke up from her side conversation with a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. Tony nodded in her direction.

"Then let's get searching. The sooner we find Loki and the scepter the better. Loki can hold up against pretty much everything, but still…we've already seen what Allan can do once. I don't want to know what he might do this time."

* * *

**AN: Hey it didn't take so long to get this chapter out, yay. Although I may have fried my brain for a day or so because I know what I want to do for the next chapter but I can't make myself write. Oh well. Thanks for your reviews and comments, they're extremely helpful and make me want to write more. What did you think of this chapter, if you want to, leave what you thought. Not sure when the next will be out, a week or so hopefully.**


	8. Chapter 8

Loki threw his head back, voice cracking with manic laughter that came out in clouds of white against the cold air. He laughed as his head throbbed, each beat drumming in his ears like thunder. He laughed at the cameras he knew were monitoring him. He laughed to disturb the man he knew was watching. But mostly, he laughed to distract himself from the sluggish black blood dripping into his arm to cleanse the poison destroying his body.

"I bet it _aches_ to see your _darling_ go to waste like this. Does it ache as much as the broken wrist I gave you?"

There were no answers from the empty room, Loki's voice echoing off the walls. Loki strained once more against his restraints, but the engraved and enchanted cuffs did not yield. His wrists, already rubbed raw, began to bleed anew. Loki stopped struggling, eyes drawn to the black blood feeding from a bag to a tube inserted in the crook of his arm. He looked away as he felt the blood attacking the poison he carried.

"I assume Amora got this nice blood for you. Bit on the nose, isn't it, Keeping me in an oversized freezer? I know you're enjoying this, but please, some subtly would be appreciated."

As the pain of the fight between the blood and poison reached its pinnacle, Loki's voice broke and he couldn't help but shudder, tugging against his bonds once more.

When Loki had first awoken after being knocked out by Allan, he was being cuffed to a hard metal chair. His sudden alertness had caught Allan off guard, but only enough for Loki to twist one of his wrists until it broke. For some time after that there had been nothing. During that quiet, Loki has assessed the situation, his enchanted bonds, the chill in the air, the tube inserted into his arm that he could not reach.

Then, from a dark bag next to the chair, a liquid begun to drip. Loki has smelled it before he saw it, a sickly sweet odor that turned his stomach. Allan's voice had spoken from an intercom in the ceiling.

"So, Loki, will you tell me how the scepter functions?"

It had taken Loki a few moments to recover from both the reappearance of Allan's poison and Allan's voice.

"You can't poison me to make me talk. If I don't tell you I die, if I do; now I still die. What's my motivation to tell you anything?"

A low chuckle had rolled over the intercom and made Loki tense.

"If you won't tell me…well, I can wait."

The poison had taken hold quickly, with all its familiar effects. But then, though a haze of pain, Loki had seen something to make him truly fearful. A different liquid, this time dark black, sluggishly dripping into his arm. Its effects were immediate and painful.

"Where did you get…J-Jotun blood?"

There had been no answer but Loki knew, Amora. She knew how to travel between realms, for he had shown her how. She had been the one to get the blood. Out of everything she had done against him, only then had Loki felt truly betrayed.

And now, after the third round of poison and blood, Loki's mind was uncertain. Had he been here hours, days, weeks? Parts of his memory were blank, spaces between the pain filled with nothing. What did he look like, Jotun or Aesir?

"Do you treat all your guests this way, or am I special?"

Loki's words elicited no response from Allan and Loki let his head fall to his chest, exhausted. His own blue skin drew his gaze, despite attempts to ignore it. A noise jerked at his awareness as the intercom hummed to life.

"Do you wish to tell me now?"

"Not particularly."

"Pity. How do you like my darling again? Have you noticed that the hallucinations are more vivid? I adapted the formula, I'm quite proud about it honestly. But remember, this ends when you simply tell me what I want to know."

The intercom quieted but Loki knew Allan was still listening.

"You can replace all my blood with purebred Jotun and it won't change a thing, I still won't tell you!"

Loki wasn't sure if he could uphold that promise. With each application of Jotun blood the time it took for him to appear Aesir lengthened He couldn't even be sure he fully did appear that way anymore. He couldn't see his face, so what's to say his eyes weren't scarlet or his skin freezing. How many times would it take before he could no longer return to his Aesir visage?

_Fool, fool, fool. Weak, weak, weak. Never should have…_

"Amora! Amora, I know you can hear me! Do you truly want to see me turn into a monster? You may deny it, but I know you have a heart."

No response. Loki hadn't expected one, he wasn't sure what he had attempted to accomplish with that anyway.

**00000**

"Have we found anything yet?"

Clint leaned over the data displays and maps. Tony shrugged, making a motion to expand one of the holographic maps.

"We've narrowed it down to a handful of towns but we still need to search them first hand if we want to find anything closer than that."

"But we can do it. It wouldn't be too hard, after all it is us."

From the other side of the table, Natasha spoke up. She pointed to a town labeled Husavik, then to another labeled Akureyri.

"I think Akureyri is a likely spot, it's one of the bigger cities in the north of Iceland. They could hide there…but, by what we know of him, I bet Allan thought of that, which is why Husavik is an option too."

"So, he could either be there and trying to trick us or not there and _still_ be trying to trick us… This man would be such an asset in a better world."

Steve rubbed his temple, muttering tiredly. In response, Natasha nodded and looked to Thor as he stepped into the discussion.

"We should check both as quickly as possible; the longer Loki is gone, the more I fear for his safety in Allan's hands."

"I agree, we could split up and check them both at the same time. But we would need to stay in contact with each other, maybe even have S.H.I.E.L.D. on alert too, incase something goes awry."

Clint's offer was accepted by the team and they decided to split into two groups. Sif, Natasha, and Tony were going to Akureyri while Thor, Steve, and Clint were heading to Husavik. Bruce had decided to stay back after a lengthy debate. They had decided it would be better if the Hulk didn't come out in any small quarters.

"Well… let's hope for the best."

Steve looked around the group, a tense atmosphere settling over them.

**00000**

His muscles ached with stiffness as Loki's eyes fluttered open. For a short moment he blanked on why he couldn't move, his mind felt strange. A quick look to his chained wrists, and the blue flesh underneath, slammed him back into reality.

_When…I must have lost consciousness after…_

Loki stared at his Jotun flesh, willing it to return to its Aesir guise. What used to be instantaneous, the disappearance of the unnatural color and ridges of a monster, now was achingly slow. It took many long minutes before Loki could get any change to occur. When the first hints of pink appeared at his fingertips, Loki felt the knot of revulsion in his stomach loosen.

But another feeling replaced the revulsion. Cold fury.

It filled his very being, waves of anger saturating his body, his mind. It drowned out all thoughts for self preservation, for patience.

He was not a mortal's toy. He was a being once worshiped as a god in this realm. Nothing, no one born of this realm, can stand against a god. Certainly not this god, not him. He was Loki, God of Lies and Mischief, one of the most powerful sorcerers to walk the 9 realms. He will be contained by no one.

Magic hummed in the air as Loki's fury grew. The hum coalesced into a high clear note, then the enchanted cuffs that held him were torn apart, their binding weaker than the force of his will. He stood slowly, not faltering as the tube in his arm was ripped out by a wave of magic.

Just as Thor's emotions could unintentionally affect the weather, Loki's emotions affected his magic. And fury was the most destructive emotion. It could build to surpass Loki's usual abilities. And the Fury that pounded through Loki's veins now was unmatched by any he felt in the last hundred years. Even after Thor had been banished and during Loki's attach on Earth had his anger not been this pure. No part of him cared for who his anger was directed towards, no part of him would hold him back.

The door flung open and Loki strode from the room, air around him alive with magic that whirled like a hurricane. Almost immediately, Loki was confronted by two younger men. A flame crackled at the fingertips of one, but only for a moment as Loki's magic caught them both and flung them against the corridor walls. They hit the walls with a sickening crunch, Loki continued walking.

He knocked out another four people in this manner before coming to a split in the hallway. His magic rushed down both sides with an unholy howl. He took the left, fury still building and guiding his thoughts.

_I will rip you limb from limb. You will beg for mercy before you die. You will suffer a thousand-fold for what you have done to me. I will rip your heart from your chest with my bare hands. I will make you suffer._

Those words repeated, drowning out all else as he disposed of anyone standing against him without hesitation. He continued walking, path guided by an itch in his mind that pulled him towards his goal. Soon he found himself in front of a door; he knew it contained what he wanted.

The door burst open, almost flying from its hinges, and Loki stepped inside. Allan stared at him, scepter in hand. There were cracks in his calm façade.

"I underestimated you. That's quite-"

Allan's voice died as Loki flicked his wrist, throwing Allan against a control panel on the wall. The scepter fell from Allan's grasp and, for the first time, Loki saw fear in Allan's eyes.

And Loki was pleased.

He advanced on Allan, Loki's fury manifesting as waves of dark energy that slammed him against the wall again and again. From the corner of his eye, Loki saw Amora take a step back. He swung his head towards her, a faint snarl curling his upper lip. She stared at him, mouth open in shock, for a moment, then disappeared. Loki stared at the spot where she had been.

_Not the one I want._

Loki snapped his head back towards Allan. One of the glass monitors broke, sending shards of glass whirling in the mêlée. Some of the glass struck Allan's face; blood ran from the resulting cuts. A low growl worked its way from the back of Loki's throat.

"This ends."

His words were amplified by the tumultuous magic; they seemed to echo in the air for an unnaturally extended length of time. Loki moved closer to Allan, who was still unable to move. He twisted his hand; cuts appeared across Allan's face and down his neck. Anger erased all thoughts but revenge.

Then a small noise caught his attention. Inflamed by the distraction, Loki spun around, snarling at the intruder.

**00000**

Natasha was one someone to be easily intimidated or surprised. Even when her group had broken into an abandoned warehouse, only to find a web of underground corridors, it had not fazed her. When they had found a person crumpled against the ground, it made Tony let out a few choice swears, but she had stayed calm. After the corridors had split off and they had split up, she was fine to go alone, confident that she was able to hold her own.

But now something in the air had felt strange as she approached a room with its door flung open. A chilling howl raised the hair on the back of her neck and she reached for her gun. Even in this she was more wary than spooked.

But what was inside the room changed her wariness to alarm.

The air felt electrified, dangerous. Yet it was what the energy centered around that made her stop. His back was to her, but Natasha could see the person behind Loki pinned to the wall, bloody furrows running down his face. She let out a soft noise, which somehow alerted Loki through the surrounding din. He spun in place to face her and her mouth went dry.

Loki tilted his head, motion and expression resembling that of a half-mad wolf. His eyes burned with fury, but it was more than that. His eyes, no longer green, burned scarlet. Natasha saw no recognition in them, only mindless anger. Then he advanced on her, chaotic energy following in his wake.

He caught her arm as she raised her gun defensively. Up close, it was more than his eyes that were off. The skin on parts of his face was discolored, heavily concentrated around the two scarlet orbs that drilled into her own eyes, to a bruise-like bluish-purple. The molted pattern seemed to shift even in the few seconds Natasha observed. This observation, however, cost Natasha her gun as Loki twisted her wrist until she was forced to drop it.

"Loki! Loki what the hell happened!"

Even as she yelled above the howling, she planted a swift kick on the middle of Loki's chest, causing his to stumble back and release her. The god did not respond except to raise a hand. Natasha acted quickly to avoid whatever magic Loki directed her way. She rolled to the side, using the howling wind to propel her further. The dodge bought her a few seconds on the rabid god.

In those, she leapt forward, activating her Widow's Bites, which buzzed with electricity. They made contact with Loki's throat and, to her surprise and relief, stopped him in his tracks.

The shock seemed to do what she had hoped. When Loki recovered from the momentary stun, what to most people would be an instant burst of unconsciousness, he looked to her. His eyes, while still red, rapidly drained of the mindless anger, as if the electricity had jumpstarted his mind. The magic whirling around him rapidly dissipated.

"I…sor-"

A scrabbling noise interrupted Loki. Natasha saw as the man previously pinned to the wall, snatched the golden scepter from the ground, then disappeared in a flash. She cursed before looking back to Loki, expecting him to be angry as well.

Instead, she watched as the god wavered where he stood; face reflecting a mixture of exhaustion and confusion. She stepped forward as one of his legs buckled.

"Loki?"

"Messed up…sorry."

The god's words were slurred as he gazed at Natasha blankly, red eyes dull. Then he pitched forward and crumpled to the ground.

* * *

**AN:I'm a horrible person for being to lazy to type something up days after I've finished writing it and I'm sorry. I can't even blame Supernatural this time. I may also have read a berserker fic during the span of me writing this and liked the idea and I may really like writing incredibly angry Loki.**


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